Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, May 28: At the conclusion of the noisy election campaign for the Lok Sabha polling, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meditate through day and night at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial at the confluence of Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea over-seeing Lands’ End point in Kanniyakumari in Tamil Nadu.
Sources in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said having criss-crossed the country to campaign for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections for the last three months, Mr Modi would be meditating through the day and night at the Dhyan Mandapam, the same place where Swami Vivekananda once meditated and was visited by the vision of “Bharat Mata.”
The Prime Minister will arrive at the famous Rock Memorial soon after the closure of the campaign for the seventh and the last phase of polling in the evening of May 30 for a spiritual sojourn. The 73-year old Mr Modi, who is hoping to head the union government for the third consecutive term, will meditate at the rock island through the day and night of May 31 and return to Delhi on June 1, the day of polling in the last phase of the elections.
Mr Modi will meditate at the same spot where Swami Vivekananda meditated and realised the vision of an independent Bharat Mata then in the shackles of British government. The picturesque Vivekananda Rock Memorial is situated close to the monolithic statue of Tamil saint Tiruvalluvar mid sea off the coast of Kanniyakumari, country’s southernmost tip. The Prime Minster, aiming to win his third term, will arrive here on Thursday evening and may leave for Delhi on June 1.
His meditation at the rock memorial will be in continuation of the similar practices Mr Modi adopted during the last two Parliamentary elections when he virtually single-handedly campaigned for the BJP. PM Modi, dressed in saffron robes, was photographed meditating in a holy cave near Kedarnath (where he meditated in a now famous hut) after the end of the campaign in 2019 and of his visit to Pratapgarh, associated with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at the end of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
There are other reasons behind Prime Minister Modi’s choice, said sources, including a message of unity and affection for Tamil Nadu, where this time he has invested much of his political capital. Kanyakumari is the southernmost tip of the Indian mainland, where the three oceans — Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean meet, as well as having a place in Hindu mythology as the place where Goddess Parvati as “Kumari Kanya” meditated on one foot for attaining Lord Shiva.
The significance of Mr Modi choosing Kanyakumari for the meditation this time included Swami Vivekananda’s vision of Bharat Mata, which had a profound impact on his life. Many believe that this rock, akin to Sarnath for Gautam Buddha, holds a special significance in Swami Vivekananda’s life. Swami Vivekananda meditated for three days at this spot which is now known as Dhyan Mandapam.