📷 Image Credits: NDTV
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to mark the end of a hectic poll campaign and head to Kanyakumari today for a two-day meditation at the iconic Vivekananda Rock Memorial.
Ahead of PM Modi’s Kanniyakumari visit, his 33-year-old pictures from the iconic spot surfaced on social media on Thursday and took the netizens by storm. The pictures dated December 11, 1991, are from Ekta Yatra that commenced from the iconic Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanniyakumari and ended in Kashmir.
In the viral pictures, all the ‘Ekta Yatris’ including Narendra Modi and party veteran Dr Murli Manohar Joshi can be seen at the statue of Swami Vivekananda to pay their respects. Notably, the Ekta Yatra was led by veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi while Narendra Modi, then a BJP worker, served as a key pivot in organising the march.
The goal of the Yatra was to send a strong message to the world that India would stand firm and united against the forces of terror. Starting from May 30-June 1, PM Modi is set to undertake 48-hour meditation at Dhyan Mandapam, the spot where Swami Vivekananda meditated in 1892. The Rock Memorial monument was built to pay tribute to the Hindu philosopher-saint.
It is said that Swami Vivekananda after wandering across the country meditated here for three days and attained a vision for a developed India. PM Modi had undertaken a similar spiritual journey after the culmination of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. His visit to Uttarakhand after the high-octane campaign and meditation inside a cave near the Kedarnath shrine drew global headlines.
The choice of the meditation spot in Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu carries political significance as well. PM Modi strategically invoked Vivekananda to bolster his Hindu constituency in Bengal, emphasizing the party’s ideology and vision. The Prime Minister’s visit to West Bengal just before polling was a strategic move to energize voters and consolidate support.
Inspired by Swami Vivekananda’s vision, the PM Modi-led government incorporated the idea of a Viksit Bharat (Developed India) in its vision document, which became the key theme of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) election campaign for the 2024 polls. Modi’s meditation plan serves as a message to the Hindu community in various states about his status as a spiritual leader, symbolizing a shift towards a higher purpose in nation-building.
Overall, PM Modi’s spiritual journey from the 1991 Ekta Yatra to the 2024 Vivekananda Rock Meditation showcases his deep connection to India’s cultural and spiritual heritage, intertwining past ideologies with present-day aspirations for a developed and united nation.
