Varanasi: From the narrow lanes of Vadnagar, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s journey began, to the ghats and streets of Kashi, which have shaped a defining chapter of his public life, his birthday will be marked by a 20-day motorcycle yatra connecting the two cities — carrying a message of service, youth participation and nation-building.BJYM will organise two motorcycle rallies — ‘Varanasi to Vadnagar Seva Yatra’ and ‘Vadnagar to Varanasi Seva Yatra’ — starting on Sept 17. The rallies will cover various districts and highlight Modi’s achievements before reaching Vadnagar and Kashi in 20 days.BJYM chief and Vadodara MP Hemang Joshi, who had been camping here since Sunday to monitor preparations for the proposed event, told reporters on Monday that the ‘Varanasi to Vadnagar Seva Yatra’ would run from Sept 17 to Oct 7 to mark 25 years of Modi’s public life and his commitment to service and nation-building. More than 1,000 young participants from across the country will join the campaign.Joshi said the programme was not merely a motorbike rally but an effort to connect youth with service and the idea of ‘nation first’. Vadnagar represents Modi’s childhood and early struggles, while Varanasi reflects a major chapter of his present public life.The yatra will move along 20 routes named after sacred rivers and pass through 10 states, 193 districts, 773 tehsils and 1,159 villages. At every halt, participants will undertake service activities such as plantation, cleanliness drives, anti-drug awareness, TB-free India outreach, honouring saints and sanitation workers, water conservation and plastic-free awareness. Local BJYM workers will conduct cleanliness drives before the arrival of the travellers under the ‘Swachhta se Swagat’ initiative.Participants from Vadnagar will carry water from Gujarat’s rivers for jalabhishek at Kashi Vishwanath Dham. Those travelling from Varanasi will take water from Uttar Pradesh’s rivers to Shri Hatkeshwar Mahadev temple in Vadnagar.Joshi said the journey would encourage youth to adopt service as a way of life and contribute to a developed India. A campaign T-shirt for volunteers was also launched.
