L K Advani enters his 100th year: Modi writes a tribute from Partition to Rath Yatra

The article also turns to the private man. Mr Modi wrote about Mr Advani as a voracious reader, with a love for culture and cinema, and as a prolific writer. Those were the aspects the Prime Minister chose to name in his short post, and the Prime Minister's Office release repeats them without adding detail.

On the same day Mr Modi was at the CoBRA base in Bastar, spending Diwali with security personnel, and his office also published Diwali greetings to the country.

From the Karachi RSS to the Deputy Prime Minister's office

The Lok Sabha's biography, which is the official record of his parliamentary career, shows how long the road was. He was born in Karachi, now in Pakistan, and was educated at St Patrick's High School in Karachi, D.G. National College in Hyderabad, Sindh, and Government Law College in Mumbai. In 1947 he was Secretary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in Karachi. The listing then jumps to Delhi in the 1960s.

By that account he sat for seven terms in the Lok Sabha, the last from Gandhinagar in Gujarat, and four in the Rajya Sabha, and led the Opposition in both Houses. During his time as Deputy Prime Minister he also held additional charge of the Coal and Mines ministry in 2002 and of Personnel, Pensions and Public Grievances from January 2003 to May 2004.

Bharat Ratna at home, and three birthdays with the Prime Minister

On 3 February 2024 the Prime Minister announced that Mr Advani would be conferred the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award. He said he had spoken to Mr Advani and congratulated him, and called him one of the most respected statesmen of the time whose life began at the grassroots and reached the Deputy Prime Minister's chair. He spoke of an "unwavering commitment to transparency and integrity" and of "unparalleled efforts towards furthering national unity and cultural resurgence".

The same day, Home Minister Amit Shah said Mr Advani had set the standard of authenticity in Indian politics and that his contribution to the party and its ideology could not be put in words. He added that the decision honoured crores of countrymen.

The award was presented at his home. On 31 March 2024 President Droupadi Murmu conferred the Bharat Ratna on him at a ceremony at his residence in New Delhi, in the presence of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Mr Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Mr Shah and the family.

Since then the Prime Minister's visits have followed a pattern. On Mr Advani's birthday on 8 November 2024, Mr Modi went to his residence to wish him, and wrote that the year was "even more special" because of the Bharat Ratna. On 7 October 2026 he met Mr Advani at home again and sought his blessings, speaking of decades of public service that had left a lasting imprint on national life. This year's tribute is a written article rather than a short post.

The official record does not say how Mr Advani will mark the day, and neither the Prime Minister's Office nor the Lok Sabha has listed any event for it.