The ‘kar seva’ on the ambitious Mahatma Mandir began here today with Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi receiving ‘kalash’ carrying the flavour and fervour of local soil and water from sarpanchs of 2,398 villages and presidents of five towns.

Speaking on the occasion, he said that sarpanchs from all the 18,000-odd villages and representatives of 169 towns would bring pitchers filled with local soil and water over the next 14 days.

Shri Modi said the ‘kar seva’ for ‘jalabhishek’ might appear to be symbolic but the Mahatma Mandir would be a unique global project with contributions from each human habitat in the state, involving pan-Gujarat societal power taken up during the year of its golden jubilee celebrations.

Impressed by the people’s enthusiasm, he said, the Mandir is being built to commemorate and spread the messages of the Mahatma, a world citizen belonging to an era. Design and colours on each ‘Kalash’ reflect the soul of local culture, as this societal power would reach new heights in the days to come. The only mantra for the jubilee is ‘development’, ‘development’ and ‘development’. The state’s development in the last 50 years has started paying dividends.

He said that this was also an occasion to resolve to make each village and town ‘nirmal’, and if the citizens decide to do their job honestly it would not cost any extra. People are already reaping the fruits of ongoing ‘Krishi mahotsav’ and would see that of ‘kanya kelvani yatra’ to begin soon.

Talking about spectre of global warming looming large, Shri Modi said Gujarat would soon witness a qualitative change eco-friendly farming, bio fertilizer, drip irrigation, saving electricity, to grow virtual gold in the farms.

Rural Development Minister Shri Narottambhai Patel said that Gujaratis settled in other parts of the world would also converge here with kalash containing soil and water from different lands, to make the project truly global. Others present on the occasion included Ministers Shri Nitinbhai Patel, Shri Fakirbhai Vaghela, Ministers of State, Jubilee Executive Chairman Shri I.K. Jadeja and Chief Secretary Shri A.K. Joti, among others.