DECEMBER 29, 2022
New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mother passed away on Friday at 3:30 am at an Ahmedabad hospital during treatment. She had been admitted to the U. N. Mehta Institute of Cardiology & Research Centre on Wednesday but Heeraben Modi, 100, died days later. As the nation mourns the death of the Prime Minister’s mother, let’s take a look at what PM Modi wrote in his blog on his mother’s birthday earlier this year on June 18. PM Modi, known to be very close to his mother, dedicated a long blog post to writing about how his mother shaped his life and made him who he is today. Here are noteworthy excerpts from the blog.
PM Modi credits mothers for shaping a child’s mind, personality, self-confidence
Mother – is not just any other word in the dictionary. It encompasses a whole range of emotions – love, patience, trust, and a lot more. Across the world, irrespective of country or region, children have a special affection for their mothers. A mother not only gives birth to her children, but also shapes their mind, their personality, and their self-confidence. And while doing so, mothers selflessly sacrifice their own personal needs and aspirations.
‘She spent her childhood without her mother’
My Mother was born in Visnagar in Mehsana in Gujarat, which is quite close to my hometown Vadnagar. She did not get her own mother’s affection. At a tender age, she lost my grandmother to the Spanish Flu pandemic. She does not even remember my grandmother’s face or the comfort of her lap. She spent her entire childhood without her mother. She could not throw tantrums at her mother, 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 was one of poverty and deprivation.
‘Mother never expected us to leave our studies and assist her with household chores: PM Modi
Mother never expected us, children, to leave our studies and assist her with the household chores. She never even asked us for help. However, looking at her work so hard, we considered helping her our foremost duty. I used to really enjoy swimming in the local pond. So, I used to take all the dirty clothes from home and wash them at the pond. The washing of clothes and my play, both used to get done together.
PM Modi talks about the time when he left home to pursue politics
Once I left home, her blessings were the only constant that remained with me irrespective of where I was and how I was. 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’. 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’.
