PM Modi’s 68th Birthday, with children of Varanasi: A time to celebrate & introspect

It’s a special birthday for Prime Minister Narendra Modi – this is his fourth birthday after he took charge of the world’s most populous and chaotically exuberant democracy in the summer of 2014. PM Modi’s 68th birthday should be a time to celebrate as well as introspect on his unique journey from an ordinary tea-seller to the top position in the country. Under his watch, India has emerged as the world’s fastest growing major economy and the country’s global standing has gone up, with his proactive development-focused diplomacy. There are also formidable economic challenges ahead, with soaring petrol prices and the Indian rupee hurtling in a free fall. Taking a break from the hurly-burly of politics, Mr Modi has decided to celebrate his birthday with children from schools in Varanasi, the constituency he represents in the Indian parliament. The spiritual glow of Varanasi, the world’s oldest living cosmological city, and the company of innocent children, should rejuvenate his spirits as he starts another year in his chequered life to lead the country of over 1.2 billion people to a brighter future and prepares to take on an emboldened opposition in the 2019 elections.