Saturday, January 14 2006 12:44 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: President A P J Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav will felicitate 82-year-old BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the 1000th full moon night of his life, signifying longevity, here tomorrow (Jan 15,2006).

To begin with the melifluous Bhajans of Pandit Jasraj, the programme would witness Kalam presenting a memento to Vajpayee portraying the moon and the seven stars known as 'Saptarishis' and two leaves of a book on which Maithili Sharan Gupta's famous Hindi poem 'Charu Chandra Ki Chanchal Kirane' and a Sanskrit shloka would be inscribed.

Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Rajnath Singh, Leader of the Opposition L K Advani, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel, Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh and RSS leader Suresh Soni would also be among the 100-odd select guests at the 'Sahasra Chandra Darshan' ceremony at the residence of BJP General Secretary Pramod Mahajan on Makar Sankranti Poornima.

The guests, including former Prime Ministers V P Singh, I K Gujral and Chandrashekhar, Union Ministers, Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states and industrialists such as Sunil Mittal and Naresh Goyal, would be treated to a sumptuous dinner.

Estranged Thackeray cousins Uddhav and Raj would also be present on the occasion.

Vajpayee, who turned 82 on December 25 last, has witnessed 972 full moon, in addition to 27 blue moons, which happens every three years and the January 14 full moon would be his thousandth sighting, an occasion widely celebrated in southern India and Maharashtra.

The last time such a celebration was held was to commemorate 1000 full moon sightings by then Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief Rajju Bhaiya.