By SanjeevKumar Patro
Bhubaneswar: For Prime Minister Narendra Modi, taking blessings of his late beloved mother Heeraben was a sacred duty. Notwithstanding the busy schedule, the PM rushed to Gandhinagar on every birthday to meet Heeraben. From 2014 – 2021, PM Modi was with mother Heeraben on September 17.
The demise of Heeraben in December 2022 has left a void. However, on his 74th birthday, when PM Modi took part in a house entering (Griha Prabesh) ceremony of a tribal family at Gadakana in Bhuabeswar, and when the PM was served with the rice pudding (kheer), a customary ritual in Odia household, the Prime Minister went nostalgic about his mother Heeraben.
Addressing a public meeting, PM Modi said, “My mother Heeraben used to put jaggery (Gur) in my mouth when I visit her on my birthday. My mother is no more; a tribal mother has blessed me with her kheer. Today I have the same sense of contentment, when my tribal sister served me kheer on my birthday.”
HEERABEN’S LADLA (DEAR CHILD)
PM Modi had a very special bond with mother Heeraben. Modi posted a blog on Heeraben’s 100th birthday. The blog brings live the special bonding child Narendra had with Maa Heeraben. Here are some excerpts.
The PM wrote:
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’.
I have no doubt that everything good in my life, and all that is good in my character, can be attributed to my parents.
My Mother is as simple as she is extraordinary. Just like all mothers!
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.
Despite the onerous responsibilities and everyday struggles, Mother held the entire family together with calm and fortitude.
Mother was equally punctual. She would also wake up with my father, and finish many chores in the morning itself. While working she would hum her favourite bhajans. Narsi Mehta Ji’s - ‘Jalkamal chhadi jane bala, swami amaro jagse’ was her beloved bhajan. She also liked the lullaby, ‘Shivaji nu halardu’.
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.
Mother was extremely particular that the bed should be clean and properly laid out. She would not tolerate even a speck of dust on the bed.
During the rains, our roof would leak, and the house would flood. Mother would place buckets and utensils below the leaks to collect the rainwater. You will be surprised to know that she’d use this water for the next few days. What better example than this of water conservation!
