On the occasion of his mother Heeraben’s 100th birthday, PM Modi wrote a heartfelt note in which he expressed joy and gratitude at the beginning of his mother’s centenary year and shared memories of his younger days, spent with his parents and siblings in Gandhinagar in Gujarat.
“Maa…this isn’t a mere word but it captures a range of emotions. Today, 18th June is the day my Mother Heeraba enters her 100th year. On this special day, I have penned a few thoughts expressing joy and gratitude,” tweeted PM Modi while sharing his deeply felt thoughts dedicated to his mother on her 100th birthday.
Maa…this isn’t a mere word but it captures a range of emotions. Today, 18th June is the day my Mother Heeraba enters her 100th year. On this special day, I have penned a few thoughts expressing joy and gratitude. https://t.co/KnhBmUp2se
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 18, 2022
The Prime Minister began his note by paying tribute to all mothers. He spoke about the importance of a mother in a child’s life. “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,” wrote the PM.
He wrote that it is a mother’s penance that shapes a good human being. Her love instils human qualities and empathy in a child, opined the Prime Minister, adding, “A mother is not an individual or a personality, motherhood is a quality. It is often said that the Gods are made according to the nature of their devotees. Similarly, we experience our mothers and their motherhood according to our own nature and mindset.”
He wrote how today he feels extremely happy and fortunate to share that his mother is entering her hundredth year. Even though she entered the 100th year of her life, she is still the same, said the prime minister, adding that age may have taken a toll physically on her, but she is as mentally alert as ever.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi says that he owes everything he is today to his parents
In his blog, the Prime Minister remembered his father who would have completed his 100 years last week if he was alive. He also recalled his grandmother’s early death due to the Spanish Flu pandemic and how his mother grew up without the comfort of her mother’s lap.
PM Modi went on to say that he owes everything he is today to his parents. “I have no doubt that everything good in my life, and all that is good in my character, can be attributed to my parents. Today, as I sit in Delhi, I am filled with memories from the past,” PM Modi wrote, as he reminisced about his childhood days in Gandhinagar with his family.
“In Vadnagar, our family used to stay in a tiny house which did not even have a window, let alone a luxury like a toilet or a bathroom. We used to call this one-room tenement with mud walls and clay tiles for a roof, our home. And all of us – my parents, my siblings and I, stayed in it. My father made a machaan from bamboo sticks and wooden planks to make it easier for Mother to cook food. This structure was our kitchen. Mother used to climb on the machaan to cook, and the entire family would sit on it and eat together,” PM Modi recalled.
Talking about how his parents never let their financial woes affect him and his sibling’s childhood, the PM wrote, “Usually, scarcity leads to stress. However, my parents never let the anxiety from the daily struggles overwhelm the family atmosphere. Both my parents carefully divided their responsibilities and fulfilled them.”
PM Modi pens downs his mother’s qualities that inspired him
PM Modi then went on to pen down his mother Heeraben’s qualities, stressing how hardworking and meticulous she was in her younger days and continues to be the same. “I can fill many reams of paper recalling anecdotes about Mother’s focus on cleanliness,” wrote the Prime Minister, sharing how her focus on cleanliness is evident even today.
The PM’s blog also had a special mention of how his mother had a deep respect for those involved in cleaning and sanitation. “I remember, whenever someone would come to clean the drain adjacent to our house in Vadnagar, Mother wouldn’t let them go without giving them tea. Our house became famous amongst safai karamcharis for tea after work.”
Whenever a Sadhu visited our neighbourhood, Mother would invite them to our humble home for a meal. True to her selfless nature, she would request the Sadhus to bless us children rather than asking anything for herself. She would urge them, “Bless my children so that they are happy in others’ joys and empathetic in their sorrows. Let them have bhakti (devotion for the Divine) and sevabhav (service to others),” PM Modi wrote, describing his mother.
“Today, many years later, whenever people ask her if she is proud that her son has become the country’s Prime Minister, Mother gives an extremely deep response. She says, ‘I am as proud as you are. Nothing is mine. I am a mere instrument in the plans of God’,” the PM added.
“I remember another incident. When I became the Chief Minister in Gujarat, I wanted to publicly honour all my teachers. I thought that Mother had been my biggest teacher in life, and I should also honour her. Even our scriptures mention that there is no bigger guru than one’s mother – ‘Nasti matr samo guruh’. I requested Mother to attend the event, but she declined. She said, ‘See, I am an ordinary person. I may have given birth to you, but you have been taught and brought up by the Almighty.’ All my teachers were felicitated that day, but for Mother,” recalled PM Modi.
PM Narendra Modi went on to recall how his mother not only respected others’ choices but also refrained from imposing her preferences. “In my own case especially, she respected my decisions, never created any hurdles, and encouraged me. Since childhood, she could feel that a different mindset grew inside me,” he said.
“If I look back at my parents’ lives, their honesty and self-respect have been their biggest qualities. Despite struggling with poverty and its accompanying challenges, my parents never left the path of honesty or compromised on their self-respect. They had only one mantra to overcome any challenge – hard work, constant hard work”, the PM added.
Whenever I look at Mother and crores of women like her, I find there is nothing that is unachievable for Indian women: PM Modi
The PM also shared several pictures and anecdotes from his younger days in his blog post. He recounted how he used to wash dirty clothes at a pond in his childhood. “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,” he said.
“In my Mother’s life story, I see the penance, sacrifice, and contribution of India’s matrushakti. Whenever I look at Mother and crores of women like her, I find there is nothing that is unachievable for Indian women. Far beyond every tale of deprivation, is the glorious story of a mother, far above every struggle, is the strong resolve of a mother… I have never been able to muster the courage to write at length publicly about your life until now… I bow at your feet,” the PM concluded, giving her his best wishes as she started her birth centenary year.
Prime Minister Modi visited his mother on her 100th birthday during his official Gujarat visit, washed her feet, and took her blessings
Earlier in the day, visuals had emerged of PM Modi paying a visit to his brother’s residence in Gandhinagar in Gujarat to celebrate his mother’s 100th birthday with her. Before the PM left his mother’s Gandhinagar residence, PM Modi washed his mother’s feet and sought her blessings.
PM Modi then performed aarti with his mother in the Mandir placed in the house and offered her prasad. He then adorned his mother with a garland of roses and a shawl. Visuals show PM Modi sitting on the floor next to his mother and spending some quality time with her before he left the house for other engagements. The meeting lasted for less than half an hour.
