Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in Bengaluru on Friday, paid rich tributes to saint-poet Kanaka Dasa on the occasion of his birth anniversary and flagged off two flagship trains from the city. He also inaugurated the swanky Terminal 2 of the city airport.
Modi, on his arrival in the city to take part in various events, visited the Legislators Home premises near the Vidhana Soudha and paid floral tributes to Kanaka Dasa. He also paid respects to the statue of Maharshi Valmiki, the author of the epic Ramayana, in the vicinity.
“Today, on the auspicious occasion of Kanaka Dasa Jayanti, I paid homage to Sri Kanaka Dasa in Bengaluru. We will always be grateful to him for showing us the path of Bhakti, enriching Kannada literature and giving us a message of social unity,” Modi said in a tweet.
“Paid tributes to Maharshi Valmiki Ji in Bengaluru today morning,” he said in another tweet.
Kanaka Dasa, whose birth anniversary is being celebrated today, is a renowned name in the field of ‘Kirtanas’ and ‘Ugabhoga’ (Carnatic music compositions in the Kannada language).
Both Kanaka Dasa and Valmiki are highly revered in the state, especially by Kuruba and Valmiki (ST) communities respectively, which hold the key to victory in a number of constituencies in the state.
PM Flags Off South India’s First Vande Bharat Express
The PM later flagged off south India’s first, state-of-the-art Vande Bharat express, besides Bharat Gaurav Kashi Darshan service, operated by the Karnataka government’s Muzrai Department, from the Krantiveera Sangolli Railway station in the city.
The Kashi service will fulfill the dream of numerous travellers intending to undertake Yatra to the holy city, according to the South Western Railway. It is an eight-day tour package at discounted rates for pilgrims.
Modi also flagged off the inaugural special of Vande Bharat Express, connecting Mysuru and Chennai via this city. It is the first semi-high-speed train in the south and the fifth in the country and adds to a list of services operating in this sector, including Shatabdi Express and Kaveri Express.
PM Greets Supporters
While on his way to Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna (KSR) station, PM Modi stopped his car and waved at enthusiastic groups of party workers and supporters near the office of Karnataka Public Service Commission close to ‘Vidhana Soudha’ and at a key traffic junction in Bengaluru.
Standing on the ‘running board’ of his car, Modi greeted the crowd, many of whom were seen chanting ‘Modi, Modi’ slogans and holding aloft the BJP flags.
PM Inaugurates Terminal-2 of the Kempegowda International Airport
The Prime Minister later inaugurated the glitzy Terminal-2 of the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in the city. The new eco-friendly terminal in which bamboo has been extensively used has been built at an estimated cost of Rs 5,000 crore.
Nicknamed ‘Terminal in a garden’, the new facility at the KIA will cater to 2.5 crore passengers annually, and have a unique ‘hanging garden’.
PM Unveils Statue of Bengaluru Founder ‘Nadaprabhu’ Kempegowda
He also unveiled the 108-feet tall statue of the city’s founder Nadaprabhu Kempegowda, which is the “first and the tallest bronze statue of a founder of a city”, as per the ‘World Book of Records’.
Called the “Statue of Prosperity”, it has been built to commemorate the contribution of Kempegowda towards the growth of Bengaluru.
The statue weighing 218 tonnes (98 tonnes of bronze and 120 tonnes of steel) has been installed at the Kempegowda International Airport here. It has a sword weighing four tonnes.
The project, besides the statue, has a heritage theme park in an area covering 23 acres dedicated to the 16th century chieftain, together costing about Rs 84 crore to the government.
PM Address Public At After Unveiling Kempegowda Statue
Prime Minister addressed the public after unveiling the Kempegowda statue at the airport. “I am fortunate to have arrived in Bengaluru on a very special day. It’s a day on which falls the birth anniversary of two great sons of the nation- Sant Kanaka Das and Maharshi Valmiki. I pay my tributes to both of them. We are further strengthening both the development and heritage of Bengaluru, Karnataka,” the Prime Minister said.
He said the newly inaugurated statue of Karnataka founder Kempegowda will inspire people to work towards India of the future.
Taking about Vande Bharat, PM Modi said it is a representation of the future of trains in India. “The Vande Bharat Express is a symbol of the fact that India has now left the days of stagnation behind. India now wants to run fast and is doing everything possible for it. This indigenously produced train offers us a glimpse in what 21st-century trains will look like in India and we are working with a goal to change the face of India Railway in the next 8-10 years,” he said.
PM To Visit Tamil Nadu Today
Later in the day, PM Modi will visit Tamil Nadu to attend the convocation ceremony at Gandhigram Rural University in the afternoon.
Prime Minister Modi, who is arriving at Madurai airport from Bengaluru by 2.50 p.m., would reach the Gandhigram university by chopper for the 3.15 p.m. convocation.
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