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Over 1,000 youths to join Varanasi-Vadnagar Seva Yatra from September 17
Addressing a press conference here, Joshi said the yatra aims to take Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 25-year-long commitment to public service and nation-building to the youth of the country.
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: Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) national president and Vadodara Lok Sabha MP Hemang Joshi said more than 1,000 youths from across the country will participate in the ‘Varanasi to Vadnagar Seva Yatra’ from September 17 to mark the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Addressing a press conference here, Joshi said the yatra aims to take Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 25-year-long commitment to public service and nation-building to the youth of the country.
The yatra will begin on September 17 and conclude on October 7. It will proceed simultaneously in two directions: from Vadnagar to Varanasi and from Varanasi to Vadnagar. More than 1,000 young ‘Seva Yatris’ (service travellers) from various parts of the country, including Tamil Nadu, Assam, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Bihar and the Northeast, will participate in the journey. Coming from diverse linguistic, regional and cultural backgrounds, the youths will move forward together on the path of service.
Joshi said this image of unity in diversity would further strengthen the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’ (One India, Great India). He said the journey would pass through 20 distinct routes, each named after one of India’s sacred rivers.
The journey, operating in both directions, will cover 10 states, 193 districts, 773 tehsils and 1,159 villages. He said the event was not merely a bike rally but a comprehensive campaign to connect the nation’s youth power with service, society and nation-building.
It draws inspiration from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 25 years of public service. Joshi said Vadnagar symbolises the Prime Minister’s childhood, struggles and early-life inspirations, while Varanasi represents his current Lok Sabha constituency and a significant chapter of his public service.
Connecting the two places through the spirit of service symbolises the union of the Prime Minister’s life journey with the resolve of the youth. These activities will include tree plantation and the creation of ‘Seva Vatikas’ (service gardens), cleanliness drives, the ‘Drug-Free India’ campaign, the ‘TB-Free India’ campaign, honouring saints and seers, recognising sanitation workers, water conservation efforts and raising awareness about a plastic-free environment.
He said the message of the journey was clear: “The welcome will not be marked by garlands, but by service and cleanliness.” Water from sacred rivers has also been adopted as a significant symbol to convey the message of faith, culture and national unity throughout the journey.
‘Seva Yatris’ travelling from Vadnagar to Varanasi will carry water from Gujarat’s sacred rivers to Baba Kashi Vishwanath to perform Jalabhishek (ritual offering of water).
Similarly, pilgrims travelling from Varanasi to Vadnagar will carry water from Uttar Pradesh’s sacred rivers to perform Jalabhishek at Hatkeshwar Temple in Vadnagar. Dr Hemang Joshi said India’s rivers were not merely sources of water but the lifelines of the nation’s civilisation, culture and faith.
He said integrating river water into the journey would express a shared resolve for cultural unity, faith and service. Connecting Varanasi and Vadnagar through this cultural link of water would be a special highlight of the journey.
