PM Modi's Mother Heeraben Dies At 99 In Ahmedabad

Heeraben formerly resided in Raysan village, close to Gandhinagar, with Pankaj Modi, the PM's younger brother.

Heeraben, the mother of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, passed away early on Friday. She was 99.

The Prime Minister said in a moving tribute after learning of his mother's passing: "A beautiful century rests at the feet of God... In Maa, I have always felt that trinity, which encompasses the journey of an ascetic, the symbol of a selfless Karmayogi, and a life committed to principles.

PM Modi arrived in Gandhinagar ahead of his trip to West Bengal to announce a number of projects. The Prime Minister's Office, or PMO, tweeted that he would participate in the Bengali programmes that were scheduled for today via video.

"PM narendramodi will participate in today's events in West Bengal through video conferencing. These events include the National Ganga Council meeting and the launch of important connectivity-related projects "the PMO tweeted.

The 72-year-old prime minister was seen carrying his mother's coffin. The prime minister then entered the ambulance after the body had been placed inside. The final rites were then carried out by the prime minister.

"We appreciate everyone's prayers during these trying times. We humbly ask everyone to remember the departed soul while keeping to their previously set schedule and obligations. That would be an appropriate homage to Hiraba, "a family member reported:

Heeraben formerly resided in Raysan village, close to Gandhinagar, with Pankaj Modi, the PM's younger brother. During his frequent trips to Gujarat, the Prime Minister would stop by Raysan and spend time with his mother.

She turned 99 in June of this year, and PM Modi blogged about it. The prime minister discussed many events in his mother's life that "formed his thinking, personality, and self-confidence" in the blog.

This year will mark the 100th anniversary of her birth. Last week would have been my father's 100th birthday if he had been living. 2022 is a significant year because it will be both my mother's and my father's centennial years, he had said in the blog post

In the blog, the prime minister claims that, in comparison to him, his mother's childhood was quite difficult. He also notes that she lost her mother very young, and that this continued to hurt her.

"To help with household expenditures, mother used to wash kitchenware at a few homes. To boost our meagre income, she would also carve out time to spin the charkha "In his letter, the prime minister described the first difficult times for families.

"She always provides me sweets with her own hands when I visit her in Gandhinagar. And when I'm done eating, she pulls out a napkin and wipes my face, exactly as a devoted mother would. She always carries a little towel or napkin concealed within her saree." 

In his letter, the Prime Minister emphasised the importance of cleanliness and said that his mother "was exceedingly concerned that the bed should be clean and correctly made out."