Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mother, Heeraben Modi (100) passed away peacefully in her sleep yesterday, after living a virtuous life of 100 worthwhile years, filled with penance, sacrifice and noble values of Bharat. Simplicity, and humility despite being omnipotent. A unique confluence of firmness, discipline and affection. She lived a prototypical valuable life with all ideals. If a nation is built by individuals, it is the mother who builds those capable individuals. In our culture, a mother is not a mere institution of accouchement, but a divine sculpting base of an individual. The number of great personalities this civilisation would have seen be negligible, if it had the paucity of great mothers like Chaneshwari, Aryaamba, Jeeja Bai, Bhuvaneshwari Devi and many more. Hiraben too joins this matriarchal lineage.
Narendra Modi’s exemplary life is a reflection of his mother’s life. Similarly, Heeraba’s life reflects the essence of Bharatiya Motherhood, which has nurtured our civilization for millennials.
PM Modi always reminiscences his mother’s life of epitome fairness, simplicity, honesty, benevolence and self-respect. Despite poverty, traumatic childhood of losing her parents at an early age, she lived a righteous life, working continually helping others and instilled this dignified personality of poise, patience and endurance of hers in her children too. She remained humble even when her son became Chief or Prime Minister. She neither participated in any of the official government events nor availed any of the state benefits, something which near ones of politicians need to learn. She preached the principles of Samatva-Rajdharma to her son, Modi during his ascent as the Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001 and blessed him to do welfare of the poor.
Modi recalls her discipline in matters pertaining to finance, and her ability to manage the expenses of her family with her minute earnings from household work. As any mother, she admonished her son not to waste the sacred public funds and to use them fullest for the public welfare.
Probably this is reflected in PM’s famous statement ‘Na Khaunga, Na Khane Dunga’. Apparently, it was her concern about the respiratory problems that women experienced due to the poisonous combustive fumes coming out of the log stove that inspired the Pradhan Mantri Ujwala Yojana (gas supply scheme for the poor at subsidised rates). Her heartiness and compassion towards the rag pickers and SAFAI KARMACHARIS inspired the PM to announce the schemes that made their lives dignified. Her zeal and efforts for cleanliness at home and locality, inculcating the same habits in her children too, is humbly remembered by the PM. Because of this, the provisional idea of ‘Swacch Bharat’ sprouted in young Modi.
She encouraged her son young Modi to read aloud the Ramayana, Geetha and other Dharmagranthas. Heeraben too, who could not read or write, acquired spiritual knowledge through this auditory effort. She cultivated her Son Modi’s habit of working continually for 18 hours or more everyday, and his personality of self reliance
When Modi decided to devote his entire life to the country’s work renouncing his family, she wished him victory with tears in her eyes. A humble mother who was exhilarated to know that Modi, who was away from his homeland, working as Pracharak at different places, would stay closer to her when he returned to Gujarat as the Chief Minister.
Modi always reminisced about his mother, who lived a contented life even in extreme poverty, in a leaky mud house, sewing the torn clothes of the children with her saree. She preached to her children to live a life of simplicity-equality-tolerance and thrift regardless of poverty, wealth and power. Many of Modi’s irrigation projects in the state of Gujarat, which was once arid, were influenced by his mother’s act of reusing the water leaked from their house’s attic, a common scenario in any Bharatiya household. Mindset, not mind, indeed plays a pivotal role in any act! Like she encouraged the boy Modi’s enthusiastic thoughts and adventures like any mother of a great personality, she also thought him the importance of self-restraint. Modi remembers that her mastery of home remedies during his childhood days saved the health of his family which couldn’t afford the medical treatment. She encouraged her son young Modi to read aloud the Ramayana, Geetha and other Dharmagranthas. Heeraben too, who could not read or write, acquired spiritual knowledge through this auditory effort. She cultivated her Son Modi’s habit of working continually for 18 hours or more everyday, and his personality of self reliance.
Endless tributes to the departed soul, a stalwart who led a hundred full years of impeccable life, continuing the divine maternal legacy of our civilisation. She was an ascetic in the true sense and fabricated her son’s ideal altruistic personality. May this holy progeny of Bharatiya Motherhood become eternal. Is it even remotely possible to build the Vishwaguru Bharat without such great mothers?
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