A tribute to Heeraben Modi
Arvind Gupta
Heeraben Modi born in 1922 in Mehsana, Gujarat, was married to Damodardas Mulchand Modi, who was a tea seller. PM Modi, on her 100th Birthday this year, wrote a blog dedicated to his mother. In the blog, he wrote:
“My mother is as simple as she is extraordinary. Just like all mothers! As I write about my mother, I am sure that many of you would relate to my description of her. While reading, you may even see your own mother’s image,” Modi also touched upon the struggles she had to go through in her life to manage the household.
Heeraben’s life was full of hardships, which have been documented by the Prime Minister himself. From doing all the household chores herself to washing utensils at other people’s residences to earn some extra money, she did everything she could to support her family. Her life came full circle, as she became the mother of a Prime Minster in 2014. Though she only went to the PM’s residence once in 2016, she always had a beaming look on her face whenever PM Modi went to meet her.
Heeraben lived a very simple life despite her son being one of the most powerful leaders in the world. She never wore any ornaments and has hardly any property in her name. PM Modi admired his mother for her simplicity as he once stated, “I have never seen her wear any gold ornaments, and she has no interest either. Like earlier, she continues to lead an extremely simple lifestyle in her small room.”
PM Modi’s bond with his mother reminds us of a timeless and boundless love that only a mother can share with her children. Those images where the Prime Minister is meeting his mother have always connected with common people cutting across party lines, as it spoke of universal love between a mother and a son.
In June 2022, when his mother turned 100, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited her and pictures of him washing her feet, a traditional Indian way of seeking blessings, went viral. Modi also penned an emotional blog, recalling his childhood and how the values imbibed from his mother had shaped him as an individual.
Born in abject poverty in Visnagar village (now a town) in Mehsana district in north Gujarat, she was brought up by her maternal grandmother after losing her parents at an early age. Given their humble beginnings, and despite of minimal education, she was a hands-on woman who wanted all her children to study well. She was mother of five sons and a daughter. She actively contributed to the finance of the house by doing menial jobs and saving wherever possible, such as working at cotton factories separating cotton bud from the plant, for wages as low as Rs 4-5 per day.
Recalling an instance when the temporary roof of their house would leak, and the house got flooded, and it needed immediate fixing, Mother would place buckets and utensils below the leaks to collect the rainwater. She would even climb up on the roof herself and do the plugging. Even in this adverse situation, Mother would be a symbol of resilience, PM Modi reminisced. Prime Minister Modi’s street smartness comes from his mother as once mentioned, “Her thought process and farsighted thinking have always surprised me.”
With six children to take care of, she was much disciplined and totally dedicated to the family,” says political historian Vishnu Pandya. He adds: “She used to sing bhajans of Gujarati literature greats like Narsinh Mehta and Jhaverchand Meghani to her sons. Their house was made of mud. Every year, the walls would need to be refurbished with cow dung to strengthen them. She used to do art work on the gobar (cow dung) walls. Her sons were inspired by her radiance and dedication.”
Modi third son of the six children, in his blog earlier this year, wrote that as a dutiful citizen, Heeraben has voted in every election, from panchayat to parliamentary. Kishore Makwana, a close friend of the Modi brothers and one who has known the family since the early eighties, says, “It was in 2004 that she said for the first time that my son will become the prime minister of India one day. At that time, Narendra Modi had been the chief minister of Gujarat for three years and the idea of him advancing to the national stage was not on people’s minds. When Modi went to meet her after becoming CM for the first time, she gave him only one piece of advice, never indulge in corruption.”
Makwana adds that the story where he fought a crocodile is actually quite simply that Modi saw a baby crocodile by the side of a pond. “Modi picked it up and took it to school. There the principal was livid and asked him to drop it back at the pond. But Modi took the baby home instead. His mother then asked him to do the same, but explained how a mother would feel when his child would be separated from her; and thus, after understanding the pain he must be causing, he dropped the baby back to the pond,” says Makwana.
The only time Heeraben came to Modi’s swearing-in ceremony was in 2002, when he took oath for the second time as Gujarat chief minister. Makwana recalls her sitting without any fuss amid the chaos, surrounded by a lot of people, focused only on her son on the stage. “She cooked good lapsi, a traditional Gujarati dessert made of broken wheat and jaggery, which Narendra is fond of,” says Makwana. He reflects that Modi’s understanding of the importance of cleanliness came from his mother, who was very particular about hygiene not just in her house but also the surroundings. Hence, it was one of the first and by far the most persistent social awareness causes the PM has anchored in his political career, starting the Swachh Gam, Swasth Gam Yojana in Gujarat in 2007 and the nation-wide Swachhta Abhiyaan as soon as he became PM.
When Narendra, at an early age, decided to leave home and pursue the life of an ascetic with the RSS, she backed his radical choices. Since then, at several points, Hiraben has come out in support of Modi’s decisions. For instance, she had backed demonetisation and was also photographed after she had exchanged a few thousands at a bank in Gandhinagar, like scores of people at the time. Living like a commoner despite being the mother of the most powerful politician of our times was a conscious decision, revealed several times through their choices. For instance, in 2016, when Hiraben’s health deteriorated, she was admitted to the Gandhinagar Civil Hospital without any ‘VIP fuss’.
Even when Modi was CM, the family used to live in Ahmedabad first and later shifted to a bungalow scheme in Gandhinagar, just a few minutes from the CM’s official residence. She visited him at his official residence in Delhi once in 2016 in a wheelchair, but Modi visited her regularly, particularly on each others birthdays, on Diwali, sometimes before a critical election, but always, after every victory to seek her blessings.
Heeraben Modi was very supportive of PM’s decision on demonetisation as she was seen standing in the queue, like any other common citizen, to withdraw money from the ATM.
Heeraben was in the news when she took a dose of the COVID vaccine inspiring elderly people to get vaccinated amidst anti-vaccine rumours.
PM Modi describes his mother as a “pillar of his life”. Heeraben’s conviction of her son shows as she has always backed the Prime Minister and gave him blessings whenever her son sought them.
Heeraben Modi, on Friday morning breathed her last. She was 100. Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke this news himself on Twitter with a heartfelt note attached to this sad news. In his post, the Prime Minister wrote, “In Maa I have always felt that trinity, which contains the journey of an ascetic, the symbol of a selfless Karmayogi and a life committed to values.” “When I met her on her 100th birthday, she said one thing, Always remembered, Work with intelligence, live life with purity.”
(The author is State Secretary & Prabhari District Reasi, BJP Jammu & Kashmir UT)
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