Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday celebrated the 99th birthday of his mother, Heeraben Modi, by meeting her in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, and dedicating a blog to her. 

The blog sheds light on how his mother “shaped” the way he gained confidence and developed his mind and personality. 

Modi opened up about how his mother always motivated him to focus on  “garib kalyan” (welfare of poor).

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He also recalled the time when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chose him to be the chief minister of Gujarat in 2001 and his mother advised him to never fall for bribery. 

 “I don’t understand your work in the government but I just want you to never take a bribe,” Modi said.  

He also talked about how his father brought home Abbas, the son of a close friend, after the death of Abbas’ father. 

“He stayed with us and completed his studies. Mother was as affectionate and caring towards Abbas just like she did for all of us siblings. Every year on Eid, she used to prepare his favourite dishes. On festivals, it was commonplace for neighbourhood kids to come to our house and enjoy mother’s special preparations (sic),” 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,” Modi wrote in the blog post.

“My mother is as simple as she is extraordinary. Just like all mothers. Her thought process and far-sighted thinking have always surprised me,” he added. 

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Modi further described his mother as “a symbol of resilience”, who faced several challenges, including losing a parent during childhood. 

He then revealed his mother’s mantra behind overcoming any obstacle: hard work and consistency.

“In his life, my father never became a burden on anyone. Mother too tries to ensure that she does her own chores as much as possible… I have no doubt that everything good in my life, and all that is good in my character, can be attributed to my parents,” Modi concluded in the blog post, which is available in English, Hindi, and several regional languages.