Modi Turns 75: Colombo Joins the Party with Viksit Bharat Run

Colombo woke up early on Sunday to a spectacle that was as much about politics as it was about fitness. From six in the morning, the Galle Face Green became a sea of runners, flags, and music as the Indian High Commission and the Indian Cultural Association kicked off the “Viksit Bharat Run 2025.”

It was no ordinary jog. The five-kilometre run was branded as a celebration of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 75th birthday, stitched together with slogans of social responsibility, civic participation, and community service. The timing was deliberate: Modi’s birthday has now morphed into a fortnight of global outreach called Seva Pakhwada, stretching from September 17 to October 2 and staged in more than 150 cities worldwide.

In Colombo, the optics were carefully designed. Indian diaspora families mingled with Sri Lankan citizens, running shoulder to shoulder as a display of “enduring friendship” between the two neighbours. By the finish line, the air had turned festive. Cultural troupes broke into Indian music and dance, each performance packaged as a symbolic vignette of India’s “development journey.”

Diplomatic watchers noted that this was more than a birthday run. It was soft power in sneakers, a chance for India to project itself not only as a rising global power but also as a benevolent neighbour who brings people together in song, sweat, and celebration.

For Modi, turning 75 is not just about candles on a cake. It is about turning the milestone into a global campaign, where marathons, music, and cultural diplomacy converge to keep the Indian story running strong.