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    PM Narendra Modi turns 66: How bigwigs like Anil Ambani, Kumar Birla, Amitabh Bachchan wished him on his birthday

    Synopsis

    Anecdotal messages from almost 50 prominent names in the country to the Prime Minister will go live on the Modi Mobile App.

    ET Bureau
    Amitabh Bachchan has written virtually a poem reminiscing how he was left surprised by Narendra Modi’s warmth after every meeting with him since 2009 and why he was not surprised when Modi became the Prime Minister. Aamir Khan has hoped that the coming year be more memorable for Modi than the earlier ones. Tata Group Chairman Cyrus Mistry has recollected how he got a lesson in leadership during his first meeting with Modi in 2012.

    Such anecdotal messages from almost 50 prominent personalities to the Prime Minister will go live on the Modi Mobile App on Saturday, his 66th birthday. Any citizen will also be able to create a customised online greeting card for Modi on the app on Saturday: you can choose a Modi picture from an online library, key in your wishes and even take a pledge for a social endeavour like Swachh Bharat.

    Those who greet Modi on the app will receive a personalised ‘Thank You’ video within two hours as a unique souvenir. It can be easily shared on the social media. A massive effort is on by the BJP this time to celebrate Modi’s birthday — party MPs and MLAs are heading out to their constituencies for social activities.

    A meeting of top BJP leaders, attended by Amit Shah, Venkaiah Naidu, Nitin Gadkari and several party general secretaries, this week decided to celebrate the day as ‘Sewa Divas’. The birthday messages, each about 200-300 words long, have already flown in thick and fast at the Prime Minister’s Office from corporates, film stars, politicians, spiritual gurus and sportspeople.

    Some of the messages were accessed by ET before they go live on the mobile app on Saturday. Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Lata Mangeshkar and Aamir Khan have written in, so have Mukesh Ambani and Anil Ambani, Uday Kotak, Anand Mahindra, Baba Kalyani, Venu Srinivasan, Chanda Kochhar, Jagdish Bhagwati and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw. Shashi Tharoor, Vinod Rai, Sanjay Baru and Sri Sri Ravishankar have also sent in their greetings. Sports people like PV Sindhu, P Gopichand, Saina Nehwal and Sania Mirza have shared their reflections of experiences with PM.

    Most messages applaud Modi for hard work and his vision for India and some speak of Modi turning around the India story in a matter of two years. Bachchan’s message is the longest. He has recollected how he met Modi for the first time in 2009 with a request for tax exemption for his movie, ‘Paa’. They had a casual discussion on Gujarat tourism at the time and he was surprised when an official team landed at his residence in Mumbai within a week to start the work, said Bachchan, who has since been the brand ambassador of Gujarat tourism.

    “I had demanded that no politician should meet me during the Gujarat tourism work – and no politician came to bother me. Wherever I went in Gujarat, the first call was from you saying - Call me if you need anything. It is very hot…please rest a bit and drink lot of water,” Bachchan wrote, adding he was “not at all surprised” when Modi became the PM.

    Singer Lata Mangeshkar, in her message, said Modi faced lot of opposition but kept on marching ahead. Badminton coach P Gopichand said Modi’s confidence provides an insight into how one should carry oneself while representing India.

    “He is the only PM who has spoken about sports and understood its importance in nation building,” he has writtenin. Anil Ambani has recollected his father Dhirubhai Ambani’s words that Modi was a “lambi race ka ghodawhowill be prime minister”.

    Anand Mahindra, Sunil Bharti Mittal and Kumar Mangalam Birla praised Modi’s efforts in turning around the economy. Mahindra has written about how he tells journalists overseas that while all clamour for ‘big bang’ reforms, what is not visible to many is the “quiet housecleaning” underway under Modi that will be conducive to economic growth. Mittal has praised Modi’s eloquence in communicating India’s vision to the world while Birla has spoken of a ‘can do’ feeling today.

    Modi has attempted many path-breaking things, Pritish Nandy said. “His real skill lies in being able to cut through the clutter of bureaucracy, make way for real change. India will remember him for that.”


    Here's a look at how a few people wished the Prime Minister on his birthday

    Anand G. Mahindra
    Over a decade ago when Narendra Modi visited Mumbai and invited businessmen to invest in Gujarat, I remember thinking to myself: ‘This man is different’. And over the ensuing years, PM Modi has indeed proved that he is a different kind of man. He is a man in a hurry to transform India.

    Sunil Bharti Mittal
    The last couple of years have been quite revealing. Under a visionary leader, India’s potential, which was never quite in doubt, has suddenly found new meaning, and more importantly, acceptance and respect among global audiences at the highest level. The eloquence with which the PM communicated India’s vision for the world…the way his charismatic statesmanship gets applauded, it makes each and every Indian proud.

    Lata Mangeshkar
    You were opposed a lot but you have kept on walking on the path of truth. The whole world in the grip of violence but I am sure your policies will win over this violence.

    Aamir Khan
    I always pray that your health remains fine and you get all the desired happiness. May this year be more memorable for you than the earlier ones.

    Cyrus P Mistry
    One of my first meetings I had, along with Mr Ratan Tata, after assuming a new role in Tata group in 2012, was with Mr Narendra Modi. I remember going into the meeting thinking that this would entail the standard exchange of pleasantries. That day, I came out of the meeting having learnt an important lesson in leadership.

    Anil Ambani
    I recall the first time I met Narendrabhai in the 1990s when my father Dhirubhai Ambani invited him home for dinner. At the end of the conversation, Papa remarked: “Lambi race no ghodo chhe, leader chhe, PM banse – he’s a thoroughbred for the long run, a true leader, he will be prime minister. In the words of my father, Narendrabhai “dreams with his eyes open” and with Arjuna like clarity of vision and purpose.

    Amitabh Bachchan
    I first met you at your CM residence, Gujarat to seek tax exemption for Pa. An ordinary house, an ordinary room…you said let’s watch the fi lm, took me along to a theatre and saw the film. Spoke a bit about Gujarat tourism… and Surprise, within a week Gujarat tourism offi cials were at my home in Mumbai to speak to me…and within a few days work started.

    Vinod Rai
    Been appointed Chairman of Bank Boards Bureau, I met the PM after adequately preparing myself and with a certain degree of trepidation. After the meeting, I was astonished to realise that he had listened more to me than I had to him. In the end, he told me to take the lead! PM asking me to take the lead? It is truly said that to be a good leader, you have to be a good team player. And to speak wisely, one has to be a good listener

    Kumar Mangalam Birla
    Today, there is an air of confidence, a ‘can do’ feeling. Narendra Modi’s has put in place the foundation for strong and sustained economic growth that benefits everyone. Not surprisingly, there has been a distinct improvement in the ease of doing business in India. Above all, Mr Modi is a man of integrity, a man of character, and that is what resonates the most.


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