PM Narendra Modi's birthday: Here are some lesser-known facts about India's Prime Minister

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Pic/PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be celebrating his 74th birthday on September 17. Born as Narendra Damodardas Modi on September 17, 1950, he was elected the Chief Minister of Gujarat for three terms (2001 to 2014) and is the current and 14th Prime Minister of India. As one of the most influential political figures in the world, PM Modi's journey from a small town in Gujarat to the Prime Minister's office has inspired millions.

This year, to commemorate PM Narendra Modi's birthday, the Ajmer Sharif Dargah will distribute 4000 kilos of vegetarian langar on September 17.

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"In celebration of the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and conjunction with "Sewa Pakhwada," the historic and world-famous "Big Shahi Deg" at Ajmer Dargah Sharif will once again be used to prepare and distribute 4000 kg of vegetarian "Langar" food, continuing a tradition that has been upheld for over 550 years," an official statement from the Dargah authorities said.

On the occasion of PM Narendra Modi's birthday, here are some interesting facts about him.

1. PM Modi, before contesting in the General Elections, was also the longest-serving chief minister of Gujarat.

2. He is the first Prime Minister ever to be born in Independent India.

3. Born to a Gujarati family in Vadnagar, PM Modi used to assist his father in selling tea at the local railway station as a child.

4. At the age of eight, PM Modi found out about the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and started attending lectures or training sessions. He met Lakshmanrao Inamdar who became his mentor after inducting him as a junior cadet in the RSS.

5. PM Modi completed high school education in 1967 and completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1978. He earned a Master's degree from Gujarat University in 1982.

6. PM Modi, who went into forced hiding during the 1975 Emergency, has written a book in Gujarati language sequencing events of the time.

7. Post the 1971 war, PM Modi became a full-time campaigner for the RSS. He was assigned to the BJP in 1985.

8. PM Modi is a firm follower of the teachings of Swami Vivekananda and has often described visiting ashrams founded by Vivekananda: the Belur Math, Advaita Ashrama and the Ramakrishna Mission.

9. PM Modi ranked 15th in the 2014 Forbes Magazine list of most powerful people. In the same year, he was ranked the Person of the Year by Time magazine. He was included in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2014, 2015 and 2017.

10. PM Modi is the second most followed leading personality on the social media platform 'X' (formerly Twitter) with over 90 million followers.