IndiaPosted at: Sep 17 2026 1:45PM


From Moscow to Tokyo, Birthday wishes pour in for Modi as 76th birthday becomes a global diplomatic moment

New Delhi, Sep 17 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 76th birthday on Thursday unfolded not merely as a domestic political occasion but as a distinctly international moment, with world leaders, ambassadors and foreign diplomatic missions sending messages that underscored the breadth of India’s engagement with the world and the personal diplomatic equations built up by the Prime Minister over more than a decade at the helm of the country.
From Moscow to Tokyo, Canberra to Bratislava, greetings for Modi carried references to strategic partnerships, economic cooperation, technology, people-to-people ties and the expanding diplomatic architecture around an India that is seeking a larger role on the global stage.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was among the prominent international leaders to send a message to Modi, praising what he described as the Prime Minister’s “extraordinary political wisdom and foresight”. The Kremlin, in its account of the message, also referred to the hospitality extended to Putin during his recent visit to New Delhi and credited Modi with a major contribution to the “privileged strategic partnership” between India and Russia. Putin’s message came days after his New Delhi visit for the BRICS summit, where the two leaders held talks on bilateral relations and wider international issues.
The Japanese connection found expression in the greeting from Japan’s Ambassador to India Ono Keiichi, who linked Modi’s leadership with India’s journey towards a “Viksit Bharat” and looked ahead to the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Japan next year. The message was significant against the backdrop of an increasingly broad India-Japan relationship spanning strategic cooperation, technology, investment and the Indo-Pacific.
Australia’s High Commissioner to India Philip Green, too, extended birthday greetings, recalling the warmth of the relationship between the two countries and Modi’s recent engagement with Australia. The message highlighted a relationship that has increasingly acquired depth beyond government-to-government ties, with education, trade, mobility, defence and people-to-people contacts becoming important strands of the bilateral relationship.
From Slovakia, diplomatic representative Robert Maxian recalled Modi’s recent landmark visit and the resonance it continued to have among people there, adding another European voice to the chorus of birthday greetings. Diplomatic missions from the United States, Belgium and other countries also conveyed their wishes, with their messages drawing attention to cooperation in areas ranging from trade and technology to defence and cultural exchanges. Foreign envoys in New Delhi broadly used the occasion to emphasise the warmth of bilateral ties and their interest in expanding cooperation with India.
The international greetings came at a particularly active moment in India’s diplomacy. Modi had only recently hosted Putin and other BRICS leaders in New Delhi, with the summit placing India at the centre of discussions on global economic cooperation, strategic autonomy and the concerns of the Global South. His recent high-level engagements have also included intensive outreach to partners across Asia, Europe and the wider Indo-Pacific.
At home, Modi’s birthday was framed around another milestone: 25 years in public office. He became Gujarat Chief Minister in October 2001 and has since spent more than two decades at the centre of Indian political life, first as a state leader and, since 2014, as Prime Minister. The Bharatiya Janata Party has turned the anniversary into a month-long nationwide public outreach exercise, the ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’, running from September 17 to October 17.
The campaign combines blood-donation drives, cleanliness programmes, health camps, welfare activities, public outreach, youth initiatives and rallies, with the stated objective of placing public service at the heart of the birthday observances.
Another symbolic feature is ‘Aashirwad Ka Diya’, under which people have been encouraged to light earthen lamps on the evening of September 17. Across states, the birthday has also been marked by public-service activities, religious ceremonies, bike rallies and community initiatives, turning what is traditionally a personal celebration into a nationwide political and organisational event.
President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President C P Radhakrishnan, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, union Home Minister Amit Shah, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Chief Ministers and leaders across the political spectrum have also conveyed their greetings, with several messages referring to Modi’s long public career and wishing him good health and a long life.
For Modi himself, however, the defining note of the day was gratitude. Responding to the flood of birthday messages, he thanked people for their affection and blessings, saying they “strengthen my resolve to serve our beloved Bharat with even greater devotion.”
That sentiment provided the thread connecting the domestic celebrations with the diplomatic messages from abroad. At 76, Modi’s birthday arrived against the backdrop of an India seeking deeper partnerships, greater economic and technological influence and a more prominent place in global affairs. The messages from Moscow, Tokyo, Canberra, Bratislava, Washington and other capitals offered a diplomatic snapshot of that expanding engagement—while the celebrations at home sought to turn the occasion into a reaffirmation of Modi’s quarter-century journey in public service. UNI SKA AAB
Tags: #From Moscow to Tokyo# Birthday wishes pour in for Modi as 76th birthday becomes a global diplomatic moment
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