Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi‘s 64th birthday on Tuesday coinciding with Vishwakarma Jayanti turned out to be a major political event, with the BJP‘s prime ministerial candidate making an outreach to workers in both the organized and unorganized sectors who worship Vishwakarma, the Hindu deity of machines and tools.
Modi was busy with functions throughout the day, from seeking his mother Hiraben’s blessings at her Gandhinagar home in the morning where she gifted him a copy of the Bhagvad Gita, to meeting his political rival Keshubhai Patel, president of Gujarat Parivartan Party.
Modi, who received greetings from many including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and BJP veteran L K Advani whom he just overpowered in the leadership tussle, reached out to workers by greeting them on Viswakarma Jayanti. He used the motto of “Shrameva Jayate (labour alone prevails) to emphasize the dignity of labour.
Being the only Hindu festival whose date is fixed by the Roman calendar and which, therefore, does not change, the link between Vishwakarma Jayanti and Modi’s birthday was not a coincidence. However, his comments on Tuesday stood out because they came against the backdrop of feeling of some in Sangh Parivar that the party can hope to gain electorally by cashing in on Modi’s credential as the strongest OBC contender ever for the country’s top job.
The saffron tacticians who are tempted by the idea are hamstrung by their professed aversion to caste-based politics, as well as the fact that Modi has a huge following among the upper castes who as a constituency have been uncomfortable with OBC mobilization.
Modi’s identification with Vishwakarma Puja may help them get around the problem.
Vishwakarma Puja is a big draw with the traditional artisan castes who work with metal tools — from blacksmiths to carpenters — who are part of the sprawling OBC constituency, as well as practitioners of new professions: from, drivers, mechanics and electricians to engineers, including those with the armed forces.
Significantly, Modi also recalled September 17 as the day when his idol Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel accomplished the integration of Hyderabad with India despite the defiance of the Nizam: an example of decisive use of force that Modi and others in the Sangh Parivar celebrate as the right way of dealing with challenges to the country’s security and its territorial integrity.
Speaking at a BJP function, Modi said people want change at the Centre.
“For the first time, the common people are waiting for elections just as they look forward to rains after an unbearable summer,” Modi said. “They’re getting restless. They want polls to happen fast so that the Central government is thrown out,” he added. He took a dig at the missing coalgate files saying, “Somebody told me about the missing coal files. I said it’s the government that is missing.”
Among those who greeted Modi on his birthday were Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, BJP president Rajnath Singh, senior party leaders L K Advani, Arun Jaitley and Venkaiah Naidu, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan and legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, along with leaders of Indian groups and organizations abroad.
The chief minister thanked the people for their good wishes. He said that usually he doesn’t celebrate his birthday but a lot of people wanted to greet him on becoming the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate.
About Viswakarma
A god very well know to be an Oceanic architect and is credited for few artificial islands like Dwaraka and Golden Lanka. It is not very well know but Sri Lanka might have been an cluster of archipelago that was later converted to this beautiful tear drop perfect shape large chunk of island just like the island China is building in South China sea. This is something still debated today. Viswakarma is also called creator of material worlds or new worlds since he creates islands and real creations unlike Brahma is creator of delusional world or fictional worlds. But the evidence of his Master Masonry is available and can be traceable is several stories and historic accounts. He is also called Universal brahmin as he was constantly on the move from place to place using puspak but later he create a guild system for teaching his craft that became a creed and caste later on.
There is always a misconception when it comes to Viswakarma and his adobe usually several images of Viswakarma depicted him as older person with a swan but it is utter misconception. Viswakarma as an individual deity is younger and riders an Elephant, since during older days Elephants were used as workers for stone masonry and the tasked related to these work was usually done by younger people. But he is depicted older only when he is accompanied by his “5 younger children or apprentices” of Viswakarma who contrary to himself have diverged into 5 individual skills known today. Viswakarman are also know as panchala around the Gangetic plains.
His is also depicted as Daedalus is Ancient greek and the flying machine that Icarus flown is also know as “Pushpak viman” which also appears in the mythology of Ramayana adorned by Ravana who usurped Sita while riding this vehicle. Golden Lanka along with pushpak viman were gifted to Kubera by lord Shiva which as build by Viswakarma for lord Shiva as most Karman are Shaiva Hindu and also during Weapon worship or Ayudha Puja done for Kali Devi an idol of Biswakarma is usually installed while doing the worship of tools and weapons.