PM Modi during his boat ride

KOLKATA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a short break from his hectic Bengal poll campaign schedule on Friday to enjoy an early morning boat ride on the Ganga, which, he said, “flows right through the soul of Bengal”.Modi, who had spent the night at Raj Bhavan, reached Man O War Jetty for a walk around 7am. He spent some time along the banks chatting with morning walkers and then hired a boat for a ride on the Hooghly.Later, he posted on X, “The sacred waters of the Ganga carry forward the eternal consciousness of the entire civilisation… I made a little effort to capture photos of this sacred Ganga. I also saw the Vidyasagar Setu and Howrah Bridge from very close by. Yesterday evening, during the long roadshow from Howrah to Kolkata, I was on Howrah Bridge. And this morning, I saw this bridge from the Hooghly river,” he said.Boatman Prabir Biswas, 44, said it was a little past 7am when some people arrived and hired seven boats.“They didn’t reveal the purpose. It was only when we saw PM Modi descending the ghat steps that we realised today was going to be special,” he said.The PM was allotted a boat rowed by Gouranga Biswas, 72. “I spend most nights on my boat here. The PM came and asked my name in Bengali. I am not good at Hindi. I replied in Bengali,” said Gouranga. The PM paid him Rs 1,000 for the 35-minute ride, Rs 300 more than what they usually charge for an hour.The senior boatman said Modi did not speak much once they were mid-river.“It was only after we returned that he called me over and gave me a tight hug,” said Gouranga. “Ever since the interaction, I am being mobbed by strangers asking me about my feelings. It still feels unreal.”The other boatmen said they were briefed by the PM’s security personnel. “They asked us to follow a formation similar to one used for a VIP cavalcade on the road. A boat with three security personnel stayed in the front, and another with security personnel stayed at the rear. The three other boats surrounded the PM’s boat, keeping some distance. Divers and security personnel also stood at the ghat, keeping a sharp eye.A few other boatmen stayed on the ghat to ensure PM’s boat was safely anchored for him to alight. Mohammed Iftikhar Ahmed, 38, was one of them. “Yahan pe sab mil jul ke rehna, khush rehna (All of you live here together cordially and stay happy),” the PM told him.