On 5 January, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished Mamata Banerjee. The West Bengal CM officially turned 71 on her official birthday. Her fans are indeed celebrating today since it is her official birthday.
“On her birthday, I convey my greetings to West Bengal CM Mamata Didi. Praying for her long and healthy life,” PM Modi wrote on Twitter (now X) while tagging the West Bengal CM.
The post has gone viral, garnering 4 million views so far. Many social media users have commented on the post. But, Didi earlier said that she was not fond of the date at all.
She revealed it last year while attending a Students’ Week event at Dhano Dhanye Stadium. It was a couple of days after her official birthday.
According to her, January 5 is the date mentioned on official records. She revealed that her recorded age might not be accurate.
“Many people celebrate and wish me on my birthday (Jan 5). But I believe I was born later,” she said.
Banerjee said her father had asked a school headmaster to write any age during her admission, a common practice in earlier times when many children were born at home. Because of this, her actual age remained unknown while the certificate age was accepted.
“Many people wish me a happy birthday on 5 January. But, I do not like that day at all. It’s just what my parents put on the certificate,” she said.
Didi revealed that she had learned about it during her college years. Her brother told her about it. She tried to correct the error later and even wrote about it in her book Ekante.
“So, the real age remains hidden, and the fake age on the certificate is what people assume to be true. I could share this story today because my brother is here. My age is five years off,” the West Bengal CM said.
“When I found out, I tried a lot to correct this. I even wrote about it in a book called ‘Ekante’. Even my name is not to my liking, but it happened anyway.”
Mamata Banerjee’s actual date of birth
Mamata Banerjee, in her memoir ‘Ekante’ (1995), wrote that she was born on Durga Puja Mahashtami.
“According to my mother, I was born during Sandhi Puja on Maha Ashtami of Durga Puja. It was raining continuously for three days before I was born. And, it stopped soon after I opened my eyes,” she wrote.
So, here’s our breakdown. She claims to be 5 years younger than her actual age. It means she was born in 1960, not 1955. That year, Durga Puja Mahashtami was held on 28 September.
There you go. Mamata Banerjee shares her actual birthday with Bhagat Singh, Sheikh Hasina, Lata Mangeshkar and Ranbir Kapoor.
Critics, however, point out that Mamata Banerjee ‘danced’ on Jayaprakash Narayan’s car when the then Opposition leader visited Kolkata. JP visited Kolkata in 1975. They argue that Banerjee was much older than 15 at that time.
If her year of birth remains unchanged, 1955, her date of birth is 24 October. That year, Mahashtami was observed on that day.
