Archive · 20 Sep 2026
Modi’s Birthday Diya Celebrations Draw Praise and Sharp Criticism
Tavleen Singh wrote about celebrations for Narendra Modi’s birthday.
People across India were asked to light clay lamps called diyas.
She felt the celebrations were excessive and too flattering.
She was upset after seeing children collect the lamp oil to use for cooking.
She also pointed to flooded villages in Bihar and Assam.
Singh said Modi has achieved important things, including building infrastructure and improving sanitation and digital services.
However, she believes schools and basic governance have not received enough attention.
She argues that a leader who represents ordinary people should avoid royal-style celebrations.
She also said Modi should reflect on whether these birthday tributes truly help him.
Tavleen Singh criticized Narendra Modi’s request for large-scale diya lighting on his birthday.
She said children were seen collecting lamp oil for cooking while floods affected parts of Bihar and Assam.
Singh condemned sycophantic tributes, including a depiction of Modi being worshipped as Lord Rama.
She also credited Modi with major infrastructure development, Swachh Bharat and advances in digital governance and banking.
The article argues that neglect of schools and ordinary citizens’ needs undermines Modi’s image as a leader of the people.
- Who
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and columnist Tavleen Singh are central to the article.
- What
- Singh criticized large-scale birthday celebrations involving diyas and excessive tributes, while acknowledging several of Modi’s achievements.
- When
- The celebrations took place during Modi’s birthday last week.
- Where
- The celebrations occurred across India; the article specifically mentions Bihar and Assam.
- Why
- The diyas were lit to wish Modi a happy birthday, but Singh argues the celebrations were wasteful and disconnected from ordinary Indians’ needs.
Criticism of the celebrations
Praise for Modi’s record
Birthday displays
Criticism of the celebrations
Singh argued that mass diya lighting and exaggerated tributes were excessive, wasteful and inconsistent with Modi’s image as a leader of ordinary people.
Praise for Modi’s record
Supporters and chief ministers presented the diya lighting and tributes as birthday celebrations honoring the Prime Minister.
Modi’s record
Criticism of the celebrations
Singh said Modi has neglected schools and failed to focus enough on the everyday needs of ordinary Indians.
Praise for Modi’s record
Singh also acknowledged that Modi oversaw major infrastructure construction, a transformative Swachh Bharat mission and progress in digital governance and banking.
National identity
Criticism of the celebrations
Singh criticized what she described as Modi’s tendency to infuse public life with religiosity and argued that other ancient Indian achievements deserved greater emphasis.
Praise for Modi’s record
She credited Modi with encouraging Indians to dream big, take pride in being Indian and drawing global attention to ancient Indian achievements.
- Main criticism
- Singh objected to the large-scale lighting of diyas and the sycophantic tributes to Modi.
- Reported hardship
- Social-media images showed children collecting oil from clay lamps to take home for cooking.
- Flooding
- The article referred to flooded villages in Bihar and Assam during the celebrations.
- Government spending
- Singh questioned the hundreds of crore reportedly spent by chief ministers and the large sums spent on advertisements.
- Achievements credited
- She praised infrastructure development, the Swachh Bharat mission, digital governance and digital banking.
- Unresolved concern
- Singh described the neglect of schools as a continuing problem that Modi inherited but did not address sufficiently.