Modi’s birthplace, tea stall to become a tourist destination

Modi was often heard referring to his childhood days as a tea seller. Vadnagar Railway station is where the tea stall located and the tourism department is planning to make it a tourist felicitation centre. Vadnagar also has many sites of historical importance.

After Modi took over as the PM of India, the state and the central governments launched a massive development project in Vadnagar to promote tourism. Vadnagar is the birthplace of Narendra Modi and the railway station that it has still has Modi's tea stall from where he served customers as a child. Ahead of 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Modi was often heard invoking his days as a child and his days in the tea stall.

Gujarat tourism minister Ganpat Vasava said, "After Modi took over as the PM, a lot of tourists started visiting the town."That is when both the state and the central governments started getting the idea of developing the region as a tourist destination. The tea stall is located on a platform at the Vadnagar railway station. Union culture minister Mahesh Sharma, who visited the town on Sunday said, "Converting the stall into a tourist spot is part of a larger project of putting Modi's birthplace, Vadnagar in Mehsana district, on the world tourism map." He also said that the original structure and charm of the tea stall. However, the interiors will be modern. 

However, this is not the only reason why the tourism department is taking interest in developing the town. Sharma justifies, "Apart from being the birthplace of our PM, Vadnagar is an important historical centre." He further added, "It has the famous Sharmishta Lake and a step-well. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had recently found the remains of a Buddhist monastery during an excavation, which still continues."

Meanwhile, the divisional railway manager of Ahmedabad Dinesh Kumar, speaking to the Times of India said, "The development of Vadnagar railway station is one of the components of the Rs 100 crore project to develop Vadnagar, Modhera, and Patan as tourist destinations. As of now, the ministry of tourism has given Rs 8 crore to the state tourism department to develop the railway station."

Sharma further added that the Indian Railways has given the tourism department the permission to build a tourist felicitation centre on the platform.