PM Modi’s Birthday: Ujjain ‘Burns’ 33 Lakh Diyas, Crores In Oil For A So-Called ‘World Record’

Ujjain lit 33.27 lakh diyas on Thursday to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 76th birthday, creating what Madhya Pradesh authorities described as a world record. Across the state, an estimated 3.55 crore diyas were lit at 845 locations, turning a birthday celebration into a massive statewide spectacle.

The scale becomes clearer through the estimated oil requirement. Around 45,000 litres were used for the Ujjain event, costing roughly ₹54 lakh to ₹67.5 lakh. Applying the same ratio across Madhya Pradesh puts the requirement at nearly 4.8 lakh litres, with the oil alone estimated at around ₹5.8-7.2 crore.

At 7 pm, a siren signalled the start of the ‘Ashirwad Ka Diya’ programme and more than 25,000 volunteers lit the lamps within about three minutes. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and BJP president Nitin Nabin joined the celebration, while the Shipra ghats and Mahakal Mahalok were illuminated and volunteers created a portrait of Modi with lamps.

The images were spectacular, but the spectacle lasted only minutes, leaving behind little more than a record, photographs and thousands of extinguished lamps.

The human contrast is difficult to miss. For a poor household, the oil used in even one diya is not simply something to burn for a few minutes. A small quantity of cooking oil can form part of what a family needs to prepare a meal. Multiplied across millions of lamps, the resources consumed for a temporary display acquire a very different meaning for families struggling with basic necessities.

The contrast is particularly stark in Bihar, where nearly 48 lakh people across 15 districts have been affected by floods, disrupting homes, crops and livelihoods. Yet the state also organised ‘Ashirwad Ka Diya’, with more than 20 lakh lamps reportedly lit.

Bihar opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav alleged that ₹100 crore was being spent on the campaign and questioned the priority amid the flood crisis.

Guinness lists 26,17,215 oil lamps lit in Ayodhya in 2025, adding another layer to the debate over Ujjain’s claimed record.

In the end, the lamps went dark, while the celebrations left behind a record whose lasting public value remains far less visible than the spectacle itself.