‘She is as simple as she is extraordinary’: PM Modi pens personal blog on mother’s 100th birthday

Recalling her birth in Visnagar in Gujarat’s Mehsana, and how she lost her mother to the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic at a young age, the PM wrote: “She does not even remember my grandmother’s face or the comfort of her lap. She spent her entire childhood de ella without her mother de ella… She could not throw tantrums at her mother de ella, as we all do. She could not rest in her mother’s lap like we all do. She could not even go to school and learn to read and write. Her childhood of her was one of poverty and deprivation.

Took blessings of my mother today as she enters her 100th year… pic.twitter.com/lTEVGcyzdX

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 18, 2022

“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 de ella. While reading, you may even see your own mother’s image,” he wrote.

Modi mentions how she would wash utensils at other houses for supplemental income, as well as peel cotton and spin yarn. She avoided seeking help from others and wanted to be self-reliant.

“Monsoons would bring their own troubles for our mud house. However, Mother ensured that we faced minimum discomfort. In the searing heat of June, she would clamber over the roof of our mud house and repair the tiles,” writes Modi. “[When] the house would flood… [she] would place buckets and utensils below the leaks to collect the rainwater. Even in this adverse situation, Mother would be a symbol of resilience.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his mother Heeraba

Today, I feel extremely happy and fortunate to share that my mother Smt. Heeraba is entering her hundredth year of her. This is going to be her birth centenary year of her. If my father had been alive, he too would have celebrated his 100th birthday last week. 2022 is a special year as my mother’s centenary year is starting, and my father would have completed his, ”he wrote.

“Earlier, there was no custom of celebrating birthdays in our family. However, children from the younger generations planted 100 trees to remember my father on his birthday, ”the PM added.

PM Narendra Modi takes his mother Heeraba’s blessings

He writes that his mother is dedicated to hygiene and “would not tolerate even a speck of dust on the bed. A slight crease meant that the bed sheet would be dusted and laid again. All of us were very careful about this habit as well”.

Modi notes that his mother is rarely seen with him in public appearances, with only two exceptions — during the 1991 Ekta Yatra and his oath-taking ceremony as Gujarat’s Chief Minister in 2001.

He then goes on to celebrate her character and selfless love for others. He recalls his childhood home in Vadnagar when a friend of his father died and his son, Abbas, was brought to their home to continue studies. “Mother was as affectionate and caring towards Abbas just like she did for all of her siblings. Every year on Eid, she used to prepare his favorite dishes from him. On festivals, it was commonplace for neighborhood kids to come to our house and enjoy mother’s special preparations,” writes Modi.

“You might have noticed that Mother never accompanies me for any government or public programme. She has accompanied me on only two occasions in the past, ”PM Modi wrote on his blog.

He also recalls an incident when he wanted to publicly honor all his teachers after becoming the Gujarat’s CM and she declined his request to attend the event, saying, “See, I am an ordinary person. I may have given birth to you, but you have been taught and brought up by the Almighty.” She also made sure that someone from the family of one of Modi’s childhood teachers, Jethabhai Joshi, attended the event.

He also mentions her response to her son becoming the country’s Prime Minister. “Today, many years later, whenever people ask her if she is proud that her son de ella has become the country’s Prime Minister, her mother de ella gives an extremely deep response — I am as proud as you are. Nothing is mine. I am a mere instrument in the plans of God,” he wrote.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi shares a meal with his mother Heeraba

Modi concludes the piece by saying that ever since he became Prime Minister, he is unable to visit her as much but always looks to her for blessing and inspiration.

“Mother always speaks with me in Gujarati. In Gujarati, ‘tu’ is used to say ‘you’ to those who are younger or equal. If we wish to say ‘you’ to someone older or senior, we say ‘tamé’,” he writes. “As a child, mother would always address me as ‘tu’. However, once I left home and embarked on a new path, she stopped using ‘tu’. Since then, she has always addressed me with ‘tamé’ or ‘aap’.”