Arvind Chaturvedi
A Seva Sankalp Bike Yatra carrying 500 participants on 250 motorcycles was flagged off from Varanasi on Thursday for Vadnagar in Gujarat as part of events marking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 76th birthday.
The riders began their journey from the Rudraksh Convention Centre in Sigra, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Union Minister Chirag Paswan and BJP Uttar Pradesh president Pankaj Chaudhary among those who flagged off the rally.
Participants will travel from Kashi to Vadnagar via different routes, with service-related activities planned along the way.
The journey is part of the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, which is being organised to mark Modi’s birthday and his completion of 25 years in public life in constitutional positions.
Sacred water from Kashi to Vadnagar
Alongside the bike rally, a kalash yatra carrying water collected from rivers and sacred confluences has also begun from Varanasi.
The water has been collected from the Ganga, Yamuna, Ami, Rapti, Narmada, Gomti, Betwa, Alaknanda, Kuano, Varuna and Sarayu, among other rivers and confluences.
According to the organisers, 10 separate groups have set out from Varanasi on different routes carrying the sacred water to Vadnagar. They will offer the water at the Hatkeshwar Mahadev temple there.
A reciprocal journey from Vadnagar to Varanasi is also planned. They will bring sacred water from rivers along that route to Kashi and offer it at the Kashi Vishwanath temple.
The organisers said the exchange of sacred water was intended to establish a spiritual connection between Modi’s parliamentary constituency, Varanasi, and his birthplace, Vadnagar.
Participants from across states
The yatra has drawn participants from several states.
Pradeep Mukherjee, who is travelling with a 17-member group from Jharkhand, said he considered it an honour to join the journey and take the message of Modi and Yogi Adityanath’s work to people.
Rajat Mishra, a participant from Kanpur, said he had voluntarily applied to join the yatra after learning about the initiative.
He said the journey offered an opportunity to take the message of development and service activities associated with Modi and Adityanath to people.
The Varanasi-Vadnagar journey is one of several public-contact and service-oriented programs being organised under the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, which is being held across the country from Modi’s 76th birthday.
The campaign also coincides with 25 years since Modi became Gujarat chief minister in October 2001.
