A 6-year-old child, who sold tea at Gujarat’s Vadnagar’s railway station to make the ends meet, went on to become one of the most powerful people in the world. Sounds like a film’s script? But it’s not. It is the story of Narendra Damodardas Modi, the prime minister of India. This small town of Vadnagar in north Gujarat is not only Modi’s ‘janmabhoomi’ (birthplace) but his ‘karmabhoomi’ (workplace) too. Born on September 17, 1950 in a humble household, Narendra Modi paved his way to success by nothing but sheer hard work and determination.
On the occasion of his birthday, the Opoyi team visited Modi’s birthplace – Vadanagar – to get a glimpse of the early life of ‘ND’, as PM Modi was fondly called as a child. The lanes in the city, the house in a dilapidated condition, it’s porch and gate, a railway station where once his father ran a tea stall and he assisted him, his school and city itself tell stories of Modi’s not-so-easy childhood and his struggles in the initial years of his life.
On his first visit to Vadnagar after taking over the top job in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had paid an impromptu visit to his school. Leaving behind his security men, he had walked to the entrance of the school and knelt at the school’s threshold and bowed before entering the grounds.
“I started my journey from Vadnagar and now I have reached Kashi (Varanasi). Just like Vadnagar, Kashi is also the town of Bhole Baba (Lord Shiva). Bhole Baba’s blessings gave me immense strength, and this strength is the biggest gift I have received from this land,” PM Modi had said.
His school proudly remembers the student who was average academically but went on to teach the lesson of life and leadership to the whole world.
From Vadnagar to Rajkot and then Delhi, the journey has been a not-so-easy ride for Modi.
Whenever one thinks about a prime minister’s family, an image appears in our minds. But Modi’s family is free of any such image. His uncle and aunt have a small home in Vadnagar. Sitting on a wooden cot, PM Modi’s cousin, Arvindbhai Narsinhbhai Modi in his 70s, wishes his brother Narendra Modi like every year. On a wall behind him were the photos of the Modi clan, including PM Modi’s mother – Heeraben and father Damodardas Modi. To him, Modi is just not the prime minister but his childhood friend too. He showed us the old photos, which take him back in time.
“Whatever he sets his eyes on, he makes it a point to achieve it,” says Modi’s childhood friend Shyamaldas Madhavlal Modi, who recalls that his friend was very fond of swimming in the city lake.
As a child, Shyamlaldas recalls, Modi used to say that cars would ply around me, which is exactly what is happening now.
Recollecting their acts together, Shyamaldas said, “We caught the crocodile together, which we let go off after were scolded. He flew kites quite well, he did everything well.”
He showed an ‘ID’, which PM Modi gave him while he was Gujarat’s chief minister so that he could go anywhere and no one would stop him.
Vadnagar is known for its heritage, which is reminiscent of the Solanki dynasty. Tourists used to visit the city, but since Modi became prime minister, their numbers have increased. There are several architectures, lakes that were built by Solanki rulers.
The city also has links with the 16th-century poet-saint Narsinh Mehta. His daughter Kunwarbai married her daughter Sharmishtha in Vadnagar. Sharmishtha had two daughters, Tana and Riri, both of whom had mastery over Indian ragas.
Modi mentioned Tana and Riri at a rally in Rewa. “It is believed that Tansen spent several years of his life in Rewa and it’s because of him that I share a connection with the place,” Modi said at the rally. He narrated a tale that once upon a time, when Tansen sang Raag Deepak, his notes were so strong that it not only ignited ‘deepak’ (lamps), he himself experienced intense heat in his body. It caused the singer a lot of pain. This is when someone told him about Tana and Riri.
“I was also born in Vadnagar,” Modi said at the rally. Narrating the tale further, the Prime Minister said that Tana and Riri were masters in singing Raag Malhar. Tansen arrived in Vadnagar and listened to the girls singing Raag Malhar. When the girls sang, it started raining, that made Tansen’s body to cool down, Modi said.
Vadnagar is extremely special for PM Modi. He once said whatever he has attained, is due to the city’s values.
(This story was first published on September 17, 2020)
