20 chefs bake 2,500-kg, two-metre tall cake for PM's 66th birthday

Urban and rural women throng to cut the cake, which was also baked with an aim to see it enter Guinness Book

Dhruvi Patel turned six on Saturday. On any other day, her birthday would be known and celebrated by her parents, relatives and friends alone. But falling on September 17, her birthday is anything but ordinary, since she shares it with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who turned 66.

Unlike toys or clothes, this year her father, Jigar Patel, celebrated her birthday uniquely as his tribute to the PM's "selfless efforts for the welfare of the country". On Friday, between 3 pm and 5 pm, Patel opened his 'G3 Plus' garment store on Ghod Dod Road in Surat for over 250 differently-abled and HIV-positive children, including orphans. Soon, garments worth Rs 5 lakh were distributed for free in celebration of PM Modi's birthday.

"He has done so much for the country. Can't we just sacrifice a part of our livelihood for him? Today, his birthday is being celebrated across the state as a day of welfare towards tribals, women and differently-abled. I just did my part" says Patel.

This, on a day, when the Prime Minister, who is in his homestate on a two-day visit, said at a public event in Limkheda, "Even today, I do not celebrate my birthday."

That in no way stopped people on Saturday from aiming at record books in celebration of his birthday.

Extravagance is second skin to Surat, as was evident from the days of PM Modi's Rs 1 crore suit auction. His 66th birthday, hence, was no different.

People of all religions celebrate birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

 

At 10 am, the Maniba Party Plot on VIP Road was a packed house with women from rural and urban areas thronging to cut the over 2,500 kg pyramid chocoberry cake prepared by the city-based Atul Bakery for PM Modi's 66th birthday. At close to 2 metres, the pyramid chocoberry cake, baked by around 20 chefs, aimed to beat the 1.74m pyramid cake that earned the Guinness Book of World Records in Rzeszow, Poland, on May 21, 2011.

In another part of the state, a gigantic wheelchair logo in Navsari too held prospects of entering the record books. In Dahod, the administration is aiming to enter the record books with the highest number of hearing aids distribution on a single day within eight hours.

Being celebrated as 'Sewa Diwas' by the administration, PM Modi's birthday this year has seen tribals and differently-abled in Gujarat being felicitated.

And if that's not enough, a mega camp in Navsari district also held prospects of breaking the record of most number of oil lamps being lit in a single venue.

Yet, all that PM Modi had to say about his birthday was, "I only look forward to seek my mother's blessings on my birthday. That's it."