Prime Minister Modi leaves Kanniyakumari after 45-hour-long meditation at Vivekananda Rock Memorial
The Hindu
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was meditating at Vivekananda Rock Memorial here since last Thursday (May 30) evening, left the southern tip of the land as he completed his 45-hour-long ‘dyan’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was meditating at Vivekananda Rock Memorial here since last Thursday (May 30) evening, left the southern tip of the land as he completed his 45-hour-long ‘dyan’ at Saturday 2.45 p.m.
Coming out of the meditation hall in Vivekananda Rock Memorial at 2.45 p.m., Mr. Modi visited the Amman sreepaadham again and boarded the ferry to reach the 133-feet-tall Thiruvalluvar statue on the nearby rock. He offered floral tributes to the sage’s 40.60-meter-tall stone sculpture unveiled by late Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on January 1, 2000 to mark the millennium.
Two coast guard ships, 7 speedboats of the Coastal Security Group, 5 mechanised fishing boats hired for strengthening sea-based security, an Indian Navy Ship and two Indian Coast Guard helicopters provided security cover to the Prime Minister as the ferry, M.L. Vivekananda, carrying Mr. Modi reached the jetty. These floating assets were part of the stringent security arrangement made for the Prime Minister’s stay in the rock in the sea for 3 days.
Before boarding the helicopter at Tamil Nadu government’s guest house, Mr. Modi had a brief chat with the administrators of Vivekananda Kendra, which maintains and manages the Vivekananda Rock Memorial.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Modi came out of the meditation hall at 5.50 a.m. to enjoy the sunrise from the rock. However, the cloudy sky disappointed the Prime Minister and he meditated in front of ‘Amman shreepaadham’ from 6.25 a.m. to 6.45 a.m. After a brief morning stroll in the memorial, he spent 25 minutes in the Vivekananda statue hall and started meditation again from 7.30 a.m. onwards.
Even though the tourists were allowed to visit the Vivekananda Rock Memorial from 8 a.m. onwards on Saturday, operation of ferries to the memorial was suspended at 11.45 a.m. — 3 hours ahead of the Prime Minister’s departure from the memorial considering his safety.
“Making security arrangements for a VVIP’s flying visit for election rally or a public meeting is something different. Since he was staying here for 3 days and that too in a coastal area, we had to take every possible step to make the security foolproof. Our men, who were stationed at various points in shifts, rose to the occasion to prove their mettle despite the peculiar humid coastal conditions,” said a senior police officer.
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