Ekta Nagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday visited the ‘Ekta Prakash Parv-2026’ at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat’s Narmada district, taking in illuminated displays depicting the cultural traditions of the country’s four regions, a day before the 151st birth anniversary celebrations of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
During the visit, PM Modi viewed the indoor section of the illumination festival, which has been divided into four zones representing North, East, West and South India.
The displays use lighting and artistic installations to showcase the distinct cultural and architectural heritage of each region.
The North Indian zone features the Ram temple, Himalayan culture and folk art from Punjab and Rajasthan.
The eastern section depicts Assam’s Bihu traditions, Odisha’s architecture and Bengal’s cultural heritage. Gujarat’s Garba, Rani ki Vav and Kutch handicrafts, along with Maharashtra’s culture, feature in the western zone.
The southern section showcases the Meenakshi Temple, Hampi and Kerala’s boat races.
The Prime Minister also walked through the outdoor section near the Statue of Unity, where 11 sections have been created to present Indian values and traditions through illuminated installations.
These include displays titled ‘Bharat – Sone Ki Chidiya’ and ‘Samay Ka Chakra’, besides installations on yoga, a light tunnel, illuminated flowers, colourful balloons and various light sculptures.
The festival has been organised for the second consecutive year following the response to its inaugural edition in 2025.
The 91-day event was recently inaugurated by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
Visitors can enter free of charge every day between 6 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. until January 15, 2027.
PM Modi is in Gujarat for a two-day visit on October 30 and 31.
On Friday, the Prime Minister also inaugurated ‘Bharat Parv’ 2026 at Ekta Nagar, a cultural festival showcasing the traditions, folk performances, regional cuisines, handicrafts and tourism offerings of states and Union Territories.
The festival will continue until November 15.
On Saturday, marking Sardar Patel’s 151st birth anniversary, the Prime Minister will pay floral tributes at the Statue of Unity at around 9 a.m.
He is scheduled to inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for 31 tourism and infrastructure projects in the Statue of Unity area, with a combined outlay of Rs 426.71 crore.
Of these, 23 projects worth Rs 307.83 crore are to be inaugurated, while foundation stones will be laid for eight projects worth Rs 118.88 crore.
The projects to be inaugurated include an IRCTC hotel built at a cost of Rs 50 crore, an Ekta Cruise costing Rs 16 crore, a Rain Forest attraction worth Rs 14.30 crore and an Eco Trail costing Rs 3.67 crore.
The package also includes sewage and water treatment plants, travelators, a parade track, staff quarters, road improvements, facade lighting at the Statue of Unity campus and the development of Ekta Prakash Parv.
The foundation-stone projects include the Gora-Bhanadra Road, a smart zero-waste integrated solid waste management project, Khalwani Eco-Tourism, an integrated Cactus and Butterfly Garden, a disaster control room for the Sardar Sarovar Dam and road development works.
PM Modi will also visit the Rain Forest and Vaman Vriksha Vatika before participating in the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas celebrations at around 5:30 p.m.
The programme will include the Ekta Parade featuring Central Armed Police Forces, state police forces and central police organisations.
A theatrical presentation on ‘Naxal Mukt Bharat’ by the National School of Drama will involve around 2,000 artistes from 126 districts affected by Left-Wing Extremism.
Tableaux and cultural performances will be based on the theme ‘Vande Mataram’, with around 5,000 artistes from across the country taking part in the larger cultural presentation.
(IANS)
