September 17 is special as the day resonates with a wide spectrum of people and stakeholders. Based on various ancient Hindu texts, Lord Vishwakarma is said to have been born on this date. As the divine architect and the creator of the universe he is venerated as the ancestor for all artisans. On the same date in 1948, after an agonising wait of 13 months, the princely State of Hyderabad was liberated — after Independence, it had remained under the Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan, and his militia, the Razakars. India’s first home minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, had ordered police action under Operation Polo, and the entire Hyderabad Deccan was liberated on September 17 after five days of the operation. On the same date in 1950, Prime Minister (PM) Narenda Modi was born. As India’s first PM to be born after Independence, and the only one in six decades to win three consecutive national elections, his tenure has been nothing short of a trailblazer.

What connects these three events of September 17? The link between PM Modi’s emphasis on skilling and promoting artisanship and craftsmanship is rooted in our ancient texts. In the Puranas, Vishwakarma is believed to have had five faces and each of these faces created a son. Each son became the forefather of one of five major artisan communities — blacksmiths, carpenters, bronze (brass) smiths, stonemasons, and goldsmiths. For millennia, India’s craftsmanship was globally coveted. In 2014, after being voted into office, the Modi government........

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