NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Mann Ki Baat on Sunday said the 150th birth anniversary year of ‘Iron Man of India’ Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel will be celebrated from October 31 and that of iconic tribal leader Birsa Munda from November 15.
“Both these great souls faced different challenges but their vision was the same, one that of ‘unity of the country’,” the PM said. He also spoke about his visit to Jharkhand’s Ulihatu village, the birthplace of Birsa Munda, last year on November 15.
PM said it was one of the most memorable moments of his life. “This visit had a great impact on me,” he said. Since 2021, govt has been observing Munda’s birth anniversary as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas‘.
Modi urged people to join the 150th anniversary celebrations and share their thoughts and work related to Patel with #Sardar150, and inspirations of Dharti-Aaba Birsa Munda with #BirsaMunda150.
Interestingly, the mentions in the PM’s monthly radio broadcast comes at a time when Jharkhand is all set to go to polls along with Maharashtra in Nov.
PM recalled how special events materialised when the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi was celebrated. “From Times Square, New York to the smallest village in Africa, people across the world understood, re-discovered, and lived India’s message of truth and non-violence,” he said.