Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar among those wishing Narendra Modi on his birthday

New Delhi: Indian cricket stars Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar are among those who have wished Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 69^thbirthday.

Kohli, who is captain of India’s national cricket team, said on the occasion of the PM’s birthday, “Wishing our honourable Prime Minister, Narendra Modi ji a very happy birthday. Wish you all the good health and success in your pursuit of taking our nation to greater heights.”

Tendulkar, who is considered to be one of the greatest cricketers of all time, added, “Happy Birthday Hon. PM Narendra Modi ji. Your vision for a healthier and cleaner India is an inspiration for all. May you always be blessed with good health in life.”

Several other leading figures also wished the Prime Minister on his birthday. Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of the opposition Aam Admi Party, said, “Happy birthday to Hon'ble PM Shri Narendra Modi ji. We wish him a long and healthy life.”

Balkrishan Goenka, the president of the Associated Chambers of Commerce of India, added, “A strong leader translates vision into reality. Warm birthday wishes to our leader PM Shri Narendra Modi ji! Under your leadership, we all will do our utmost to transform our motherland.”

Indian acting legend Mohanlal said, “Narendra Modi ji, may the almighty bless you with a successful and healthy life.”

Indian cricketer Suresh Raina chipped in with, “Thank you for inspiring us to give back to our society, and to work hard to shape a better future. Happy birthday, Narendra Modi ji. Wish you the best, always.”

Sachin Sanghe, an artist specialising in micro-sculptures, made a tiny carving of the PM holding a calf to commemorate his birthday. “Though every artwork is special to an artist, few works will be close to his or her heart as they come out of sheer admiration for a person. This is one such work for me,” he sad. “Happy birthday Narendra Modi ji. You are an inspiration.

Lok Sabha Member of Parliament Maneka Gandhi decided to honour Modi’s birthday by planting 10,000 fruit trees in her constituency of Sultanpur. “The entire forest area will be fenced and has been named Namovan,” with ‘van’ being the Hindi word for ‘forest’.

Varun Gandhi, another Lok Sabha member, decided to celebrate the PM’s birthday by visiting schools and pledging to put an end to the use of non-recyclable plastics. He “visited the district hospital to ensure cleanliness and planted fruit trees with the students at the Ganna Utpadak Mahavidyalaya in my constituency Pilibhit. Pledged to end the use of non-recyclable plastics and replace them with cloth or jute bags.”

Meanwhile Modi himself was offering prayers at the Narmada river, where he also visited the Sardar Sarovar dam in Kevadia, Gujarat.

“It is a great privilege for me to have the opportunity to see mother Narmada today, to have the opportunity to offer prayers and prayers," said Modi. “On one side is the Sardar Sarovar dam, where there is electricity generating equipment, on the other side there are very beautiful arrangements related to eco-tourism like the unity nursery and butterfly garden. Amidst all this, a grand statue of Sardar Patel is seen to be blessing us.

“In our culture, it has always been believed that development can happen even while protecting the environment. Nature is adorable for us, nature is our ornament,” added the PM. “A live example of how development can be done while preserving the environment is now seen. I understand that such a trifecta of development, nature and tourism is flowing in Kevadia, which is an inspiration for all.”