Narendra Modi’s early years were marked by extensive travels on foot, bicycle, and motorcycle through remote tribal areas. Today, as we mark #JanjatiyaGauravDiwas, we reflect on the many experiences that helped him understand the struggles of tribal communities first hand and inspired him to work tirelessly toward their inclusive growth.

Here’s a thread on some of these encounters.. A Child’s Hunger

During one of his travels to a small village, @narendramodi visited the humble hut of a Swayamsewak who lived with his wife and young son.

The Swayamsewak’s wife offered Modi half a bajra roti with a bowl of milk in a gesture of hospitality. Modi noticed the child’s gaze was fixed intently on the milk, and he quickly understood that it was meant for the child. Having already had his breakfast, Modi ate just the roti with water, leaving the milk untouched. The child eagerly drank it all in one go, a sight that moved Modi to tears.

In that moment Modi realised the deep reality of poverty and hunger in his country.

#JanjatiyaGauravDiwas

Today marks the historic day when, 23 years ago, @narendramodi took office as Chief Minister of Gujarat. It was a turning point not only for Gujarat but for India.

But not many know the story of how Narendra Modi became Gujarat’s Chief Minister 23 years ago..

By 2001, Modi was already three decades into his journey of public service. From his early days as an ordinary RSS pracharak to becoming a dedicated BJP worker, he had steadily risen as a strong contender for leadership. However, few knew at the time that this 51-year-old BJP National General Secretary’s political career was about to take a historic leap.

Widely known among party members as "NaMo," Modi had spent years transforming the BJP into a formidable force in Gujarat. As the state’s BJP organizing secretary, his tireless efforts helped the party make inroads into Congress strongholds—a remarkable feat considering that the BJP had been almost non-existent in the region. In 1984, the BJP had only one Member of Parliament in Gujarat, A.K. Patel from Mehsana.

But in 1985, when Modi was assigned by the RSS to work with the BJP, it marked a turning point. His political foresight and determination were instrumental in helping the BJP emerge as a serious contender to Congress.

#23YearsOfSeva


A gifted orator, @narendramodi’s leadership drew young intellectuals to the BJP. Under his guidance, the party gained control of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, marking a major milestone for the BJP in the state. His success in local politics soon fueled his growing reputation within the party.

By 1990, the BJP had secured over 60 seats in the Gujarat Assembly, forming a coalition government with Chimanbhai Patel of the Janata Dal. Although this partnership dissolved in 1992 during the Ram Janmabhoomi Movement, Modi’s influence only grew.

By the early 1990s, Narendra Modi had already established himself as the principal organizer of two of the BJP’s most significant national yatras—L.K. Advani’s Somnath-to-Ayodhya yatra in 1991 and Murli Manohar Joshi’s Kanyakumari-to-Kashmir yatra, apart from organizing the Nyay Yatra, Sant Sadbhav Yatra, and Lok Shakti Yatra in Gujarat in the late 1980s.

Modi’s sharp political acumen led the BJP to a sweeping victory in the 1995 Gujarat Assembly elections, where the party won 121 out of 182 seats. Soon Modi was reassigned to New Delhi, where he quickly established himself within the national BJP and expanded the party’s influence in states like Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. Yet, despite his successes, Gujarat remained close to Modi’s heart.

Then came the devastating earthquake of January 26, 2001, which struck Gujarat just as the nation was preparing for Republic Day.

#23YearsOfSeva

In his own words, @narendramodi has described the Emergency as an unexpected opportunity (Aapda Mein Avsar) that allowed him to work with leaders and organizations across the political spectrum, exposing him to diverse ideologies and viewpoints.

The story of the Emergency, however, did not begin on June 25, 1975, when it was imposed. Student-led agitations against the corruption of the Congress Party were sweeping across the entire nation, and Gujarat was no exception.

In 1974, during the Navnirman Andolan in Gujarat, Narendra Modi witnessed firsthand the power of students' voices in effecting change in the nation. As a Yuva Pracharak of the RSS, he was deputed to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad to voice the youth movement through his fiery speeches.

जब कर्तव्य ने पुकारा तो कदम कदम बढ़ गये
जब गूंज उठा नारा 'भारत माँ की जय'
तब जीवन का मोह छोड़ प्राण पुष्प चढ़ गये
कदम कदम बढ़ गये

टोलियाँ की टोलियाँ जब चल पड़ी यौवन की
तो चौखट चरमरा गये सिंहासन हिल गये
प्रजातंत्र के पहरेदार सारे भेदभाव तोड़
सारे अभिनिवेश छोड़, मंजिलों पर मिल गये
चुनौती की हर पंक्ति को सब एक साथ पढ़ गये
कदम कदम बढ़ गये

सारा देश बोल उठा जयप्रकाश जिंदाबाद
तो दहल उठे तानाशाह
भृकुटियां तन गई
लाठियाँ बरस पड़ी सीनों पर माथे पर

[Excerpts from a poem about the Navnirman movement in the pages of Narendra Modi's personal diary]

#DarkDaysOfEmergency
Once the Emergency was imposed, @narendramodi joined the protests against it. At a time when censorship was at its peak, Modi and other volunteers organized meetings and took on the responsibility of disseminating underground literature. At that time, he worked closely with senior RSS leaders like Nath Zagda and Vasant Gajendragadkar.

Because of tight security, dissemination of information was a challenge. However, Narendra Modi devised a unique solution: he loaded materials related to the Constitution, laws, and Congress government's excesses onto trains departing from Gujarat to other states. This helped deliver messages to remote places with less risk of detection.

After the RSS was forced to go underground, the Gujarat Lok Sangharsh Samiti was established. At age 25, he swiftly ascended to the position of its General Secretary within three years. Through his articles and correspondence, Modi was instrumental in sustaining the revolt against the Congress government, even during the most challenging periods when key movement leaders were unjustly arrested under the MISA Act.

He actively reached out to individuals abroad, sending them underground publications and urging them to publish these materials to amplify international resistance. In one correspondence, there was discussion about collecting paper cuttings of Narendra Modi's articles from publications like the Gujarat Newsletter and Sadhana Patrika, along with other underground literature and prints, intending to broadcast them on platforms like the BBC.

[Excerpt from Emergency-era correspondence sourced from Narendra Modi's personal archive (content blurred intentionally)].

#DarkDaysOfEmergency

"The Ram Mandir shall be built at the site of Ram Janmabhoomi only, the place where Ram was born. No power in the world can stop the Ram temple from being built,"

[Narendra Modi, audio extract from 'Lok Adalat Ma Ayodhya']

During the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, @narendramodi delivered many powerful speeches. One, titled 'Lok Adalat Ma Ayodhya,' was especially impactful. It resonated so well with the public that the speech was recorded and thousands of cassette copies were sold for people to listen to it again and again.

As the nation celebrates #नए_भारत_की_नई_अयोध्या, we explore the decades-long journey of Narendra Modi in the centuries-long struggle for the Ram Mandir.. As a swayamsevak in RSS, @narendramodi played a crucial role in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, focused on reclaiming Lord Rama's birthplace in Ayodhya. His involvement spans nearly six decades, dating back to the 1970s.

Many Yatras were conducted throughout India for awakening and revivalism....

As the historic judgment on Article 370 shapes the path forward for the @narendramodi government's #NayaJammuKashmir, let's delve into the archives and look back at the time when the seeds of this decision were planted in the mind of a young Narendra Modi.

The removal of Article 370, while rooted in a nationalist framework, unfolds across multiple layers and is more intricate than it may initially seem. Narendra Modi, a leader known for making policy decisions based on practical experiences, applied a similar approach to the Kashmir issue. He realized early on that achieving true integration of J&K with the rest of the nation required addressing and eliminating the discrimination perpetuated by Article 370. Narendra Modi understood that this discrimination had far-reaching implications in legislative, societal, cultural, and daily aspects of the lives of the people in J&K.

Land integration alone was insufficient; the integration of Kashmir's people into India was imperative.
Early Years as a Crucible for Modi's Kashmir Understanding

@narendramodi possessed a comprehensive understanding of Kashmir's issues, backed by both book knowledge and firsthand on-ground experiences.

For instance, in a 1984-85 speech at the Sangh Shiksha Varg in Pune, when he was an RSS worker, Narendra Modi highlighted the discrimination embedded in the land laws of the region, specifically pointing to Articles 370 and 35A.

Later, as a BJP worker, he came to know of the challenges in the region through direct interactions with locals while traversing the state. These engagements occurred during a period of heightened terrorism in the late 1980s and early 1990s in the region.

#NayaJammuKashmir

Modi drinking chai with Lata 'didi'.

In 2013, Modi was invited to inaugurate a super-speciality hospital in Pune dedicated to the late Deenanath Mangeshkar.

It was in 2013 when on meeting Modi, the Queen of Melody said - 'I pray to God that we see Narendra Bhai as PM'. 'Modi@20: Dreams Meet Delivery', a recently released book, includes a Foreword by the late Lata Mangeshkar narrating her interactions with Modi.

The 92-year-old artist describes how she saw Narendra 'bhai' not as a conventional politician, but as a leader with intent & action.

On this day in 1893, #SwamiVivekananda delivered the famous Chicago speech. Presenting some archives culled from the pages of PM @narendramodi's history

Here Modi discusses how Vivekananda explained Advaita to the Western world.

[Audio excerpt, Sangh Shiksha Varg in Pune, 1985] #SwamiVivekananda had a profound influence on young Modi's mind, inspiring him to dedicate his life to service.

A journey of inner discovery began at the Ramakrishna Mission, where Modi lived with sadhus and saints. During his stay, he got to spend time in Vivekananda's chamber.