Team News Riveting
Ahmedabad, December 30
Heeraben, the mother of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, passed away at the age of 100 years in the wee hours of Friday.
Heeraben was born on June 18, 1923, in Vadnagar, district Mehsana, Gujarat. She belongs to the Modh-Ghanchi community, and her husband, Damodardas Mulchand Modi, was a tea seller.
She is survived by five sons, Soma Modi, Pankaj Modi, Amrit Modi, Prahlad Modi and Narendra Modi and a daughter Vasantiben Hasmukhlal Modi. Prior to her husband’s death, she used to live in the family’s ancestral home in Vadnagar. Later, she shifted to Pankaj Modi’s home at Raysan village at the outskirts of Gandhidham.
On December 28, Heeraben’s health deteriorated, after which she was admitted to U N Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre. Though the hospital administration yesterday said her condition was improving, it deteriorated late in the night and she breathed her last at around 3.30 am today.
Soon after getting information, rushed to Gandhidham. He offered floral tributes to his mother there and bowed down at her feet. In an exemplary example of simplicity, the last rites were performed even as the Prime Minister participated in the entire process as a common man.
Modi and his brothers shouldered the mortal remains as they walked barefoot. The Prime Minister himself sat on the ambulance carrying the body at Sector 30 crematorium in Ahmedabad, where the last rites were performed. He along with his brothers lit the funeral pyre.
No dignitaries were present on the occasion as all were requested not to reach. The funeral was kept as an entire family affair and only a handful party leaders and workers were present.
After the funeral, Modi returned to the Raj Bhawan and got into the work. The Prime Minister, who was scheduled to embark on a visit to West Bengal to launch the developmental projects, joined the events through video conferencing.
Sharing her picture, the Prime Minister said, “In Maa I have always felt that trimurti, which contains the journey of an ascetic, the symbol of a selfless Karmayogi and a life committed to values.” He added, “When I met her on her 100th birthday, she said one thing – Always remember – Work with intelligence, live life with purity.”
In an interview earlier, Modi said her mother was the pillar of his life and played an important role in his success. PM Modi visited her mother to take her blessings from time to time. In 2016, she visited the Prime Minister’s official residence at Race Course Road for the first time.
“Maa…this isn’t a mere word, but it captures a range of emotions. Today, June 18, 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.
He wrote that a mother’s penance 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.”
