NSIM

PM’s birthday is ‘Sewa Diwas’

Special feature added on NaMo app to enable people greet the Prime Minister today

A 66th birthday may not seem much like a milestone, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who turns that age on Saturday, is determined that no birthday wish shall remain unacknowledged. A special tech feature on the NaMo app has been added to enable people to leave messages wishing the Prime Minister a happy birthday, and also upload personalised birthday cards.

In response, a message thanking the sender for his/her wishes will be sent to them, referring to the sender by name, and can be shared across social media platforms.

This is not the first time Prime Minister Modi is using tech to get personal, when he won the General Elections of 2014, his team sent out direct messages of thanks to every congratulatory message posted on social media site Twitter.

Several prominent personalities have posted their wishes on the app, including superstar Amitabh Bacchchan, singer Lata Mangeshkar, actor Aamir Khan and industry titans Cyrus Mistry, and Anil Ambani, each recalling with warmth, their past association with Prime Minister Modi.

Mr. Bachchan recalls Prime Minister Modi’s attention to detail and phenomenal recall. “I am astounded by how you manage to remember small details of past incidents, like the way you enquired about the cut I suffered on my finger during Uttarayan while flying kites,” he said in his greetings.

Mr. Anil Ambani’s wishes include a prophecy that he recalls was made by his father, the late Dhirubhai Ambani when the Ambani family hosted Prime Minister Modi for a meal in Mumbai. “Lambi race no ghodo che, leader che, (he is a thoroughbred for the long run, a leader), PM banse (he will be Prime Minister),” Mr. Ambani quotes his late father as saying in Gujarati.

Says former Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai: “I came way from the meeting of Bank Boards Bureau realising that he had listened to me more than I had to him.”

BJP president Amit Shah has called upon his party members to celebrate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday, on September 17, as ‘Sewa Diwas’ or service day by participating in social work.

In a message released by Mr. Shah, he said that it was “a matter of great pride that many committed party workers had arranged participation in activities related to social service to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday. I too shall participate in Swachch Bharat Abhiyan’s activity in Telangana,” he said in a statement. Mr. Modi will distribute 11,000 pieces of equipment to physically challenged people at a programme organised by the Ministry of Social Justice.