‘Maruti Ki Pran Pratishtha’: When Narendra Modi penned a poem highlighting tribals' plights in 1983

New Delhi: As Ayodhya readies for the first Ram Navami celebrations after the Pran Pratishtha of the grand Ram Temple by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 22 this year, an old incident has come to the fore showing the latter’s inclination for a similar ceremony decades ago, which was related to the plight of the tribals in Gujarat.

In 1983, Narendra Modi, then an RSS Swayamsevak, wrote a poem titled ‘Maruti ki Pran Pratishtha’ after he witnessed the miserable living conditions of the tribal population, apparently for the first time in his life.

Witnessing the plight of the tribals in the Dharampur region of south Gujarat from close quarters, Narendra Modi penned a poem about their daily struggles and the fight for basic amenities.

'Modi Archive', a popular X handle sharing anecdotes of PM Modi’s journey through pictures, videos, and clippings, shared on Tuesday that he witnessed the poor state of affairs of the tribals in the Dharampur region while on his way to attend the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of a Hanuman temple in south Gujarat.

“The drive was long, and not a soul was in sight for kilometres at a stretch. On his way to the village, he noticed the tribals of Dharampur who were surviving under a lack of resources. Their bodies had turned black. Witnessing this scene for the first time in his life, Narendra Modi was deeply affected,” the X handle said.

After reaching home, Narendra Modi penned a poem titled ‘Maruti Ki Pran Pratishtha’.

The X handle also shared the hand-written poem by Narendra Modi, which aimed to draw the attention of the authorities towards the tribals' plights.

Notably, Dharampur is home to several Hanuman temples, including the Bhava Bhairav Mandir, Panwa Hanuman Mandir, and Badi Faliya, which are worshipped by the tribal community to date.

“Narendra Modi used to visit the Dharampur forest area along with his 'Vanbandhus', where they would install idols of Hanuman and build small temples,” the post said.