Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated his 76th birthday on Thursday, September 17, 2026, with an extraordinary outpouring of greetings from world leaders, foreign dignitaries, sportspeople and citizens across India — and a striking tribute from one of the world’s most recognisable landmarks, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa.

The day also marked a significant political milestone: October 2026 will complete 25 years since Modi first took office as Chief Minister of Gujarat, launching a public career that has since made him the longest-serving prime minister from a non-Congress party in India’s history.

·Burj Khalifa joins the celebrations

In a tradition that has become a fixture of Modi’s birthday in recent years, the Burj Khalifa — the world’s tallest building at approximately 828 metres — was illuminated in the Prime Minister’s honour, its towering facade displaying his portrait alongside the Indian tricolour.

The light show is widely regarded as a symbol of the deepening strategic partnership between India and the United Arab Emirates — a relationship built on trade, energy cooperation, cultural exchange and people-to-people ties. It was not the first time the Dubai skyscraper has marked the occasion; the gesture has now repeated for several consecutive years, underscoring the warmth between the two governments, and was watched by crowds gathered below and shared widely across social media.

·Wishes from world leaders

Greetings for the Indian Prime Minister arrived from across the globe through the day. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were among the international leaders who extended birthday wishes.

The US Embassy in India conveyed greetings on behalf of President Donald Trump, wishing Modi all the health and happiness in the coming year. Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit hoped the year ahead would bring the Indian premier good health and continued strength in service to the people of India. Foreign envoys posted at New Delhi, including Slovakia’s ambassador, also shared personal messages recalling recent diplomatic engagements and reaffirming bilateral ties.

·Celebrations across India

At home, wishes began early in the day. President Droupadi Murmu was among the first to greet the Prime Minister, praising his 25 years of public service and his contribution to governance and inclusive development. Senior Union ministers — including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal and S. Jaishankar — along with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and several chief ministers, also extended their greetings.

Notably, wishes came from across the political spectrum: Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge were among opposition figures who conveyed birthday greetings, alongside cricketer Virat Kohli and other prominent names from sport and public life.

In Gujarat’s Vadnagar — Modi’s hometown in Mehsana district — Union Home Minister Amit Shah led a cleanliness drive at the railway station before performing a grand Maha Aarti at the historic Sharmishtha Lake, joined by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. BJP workers in Patna performed a milk abhishek on the Prime Minister’s photograph along the banks of the Ganga, while in Kerala, party workers organised a dawn-to-dusk Udayastamana Pooja at a temple in Kasaragod.

·BJP launches month-long “Seva Sankalp Abhiyan”

To coincide with the occasion — and with the approaching 25th anniversary of Modi’s entry into public office on October 7 — the Bharatiya Janata Party launched the “Seva Sankalp Abhiyan,” a month-long campaign running from September 17 to October 17 across the country.

·A working birthday

Despite the celebrations, the day remained a working one for the Prime Minister, who inaugurated SEMICON India 2026 and addressed industry leaders, describing them as pillars of the country’s development.

Modi was born on September 17, 1950, in Vadnagar, Gujarat — three years after India’s independence, making him the first Indian prime minister to have been born in a free India. As the milestone birthday drew wishes from world capitals to small towns across the country, the illuminated Burj Khalifa stood as a fitting emblem of a celebration that, this year as in years past, stretched from Dubai’s skyline to the banks of the Ganga.