New Delhi — Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned 76 on Thursday, a milestone that has sparked both celebration and reflection across India on one of the most consequential political careers in the country's history. Born Narendra Damodardas Modi on September 17, 1950, in the town of Vadnagar in Gujarat's Mahesana district, his early years were marked by economic hardship and discipline instilled by a family that valued service above comfort.
Modi's father was a shopkeeper, and young Narendra helped him during school hours. After completing his schooling in Vadnagar, he moved to Ahmedabad and later enrolled at J.M. Institute of Industrial Business Administration, though he left without finishing his degree. It was during these formative years that he began selling tea at a local stall — a detail that would later become central to his political narrative of rising from humble origins.
He joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a teenager, a decision that shaped his ideological framework and organizational skills. Over the decades, he climbed the RSS hierarchy before entering electoral politics, winning a seat in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly in 1995. In 2001, then-Home Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee brought him into the national government as Minister of State for Home Affairs, and later that year he became Gujarat's Chief Minister — a position he held for over twelve years across multiple terms.
Modi's ascent to the prime minister's office in 2014 was historic: he led the Bharatiya Janata Party to its first majority government, securing 282 seats in the Lok Sabha. He was re-elected in 2019 with an even larger mandate of 303 seats, making him the first non-Congress prime minister to win consecutive terms since the party's founding era.
His governance has been defined by high-profile policy initiatives — the Goods and Services Tax overhaul, the demonetization move of 2016, the formation of new agricultural states, and aggressive infrastructure projects including highways, railways, and digital public infrastructure. Supporters praise his economic modernization drive and strong diplomatic presence; critics point to concerns over religious polarization, restrictions on press freedom, and the handling of communal tensions.
On his 76th birthday, political observers note that Modi remains one of the most recognizable and influential leaders not just in India but globally. At 76, he continues to dominate the Indian political landscape as the BJP campaigns toward the 2029 general elections, with his personal legacy deeply intertwined with the party's fortunes.
