Heeraben Modi passes away at 99; PM mourns end of a glorious century: Updates in 10 points
New Delhi: The demise of Heeraben Modi, mother of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has spread a wave of sorrow across the nation. The 99-year-old Heeraben led a simple and religious life and played a key role in Modi's life. Her final rites were performed by the PM at his brother's residence in Raysan village in Gujarat. Here is a brief account of her unfortunate demise and the events that followed:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother Heeraben passed away at a hospital in Ahmedabad early on Friday at the age of 99. She was admitted to the U N Mehta Heart Hospital a day before her demise due to deteriorating health. Heeraben, who died at 3:30 am, is survived by five sons and a daughter.
- Heeraben's last rites were performed at a crematorium in Gandhinagar around 9:30 am in the presence of PM Modi, his brothers and other family members. Modi had reached the residence of his brother Pankaj Modi at Raysan village on the outskirts of Gandhinagar, where the mortal remains of their mother were kept. PM Modi and his brothers shouldered her mortal remains for some distance before placing them in a mortuary van.
- The Prime Minister took to Twitter to pen an emotional message about his centenarian mother's demise. "A great journey of 100 years has come to an end. In Maa, I have always a trinity of qualities, which comprised the journey of an ascetic, the symbol of a selfless karma yogi, and a life committed to values. When I met her on her 100th birthday, she said one thing which I'll always remember - work with wisdom and live life with purity," the PM's tweet in Hindi read.
- The PM had visited the hospital to inquire about his mother's health on Wednesday after learning about her condition. After spending over an hour at the hospital on that day, he had left for Delhi after doctors informed him that her health was stable.
- Heeraben lived in Raysan village with PM Modi's younger brother, and was close to the Prime Minister. Modi regularly visited Raysan and spent time with his mother during most of his Gujarat visits. A family member told reporters that a condolence meeting would be organized a few days later at Modi's native place Vadnagar.
- Condolences poured in from across the world for Prime Minister Modi. World leaders including Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, Nepali PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Pakistan PM Shehbaaz Sharif, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, and German and Russian ambassadors to India are few among the several world leaders who reached out to the PM.
- President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge Bengal, CM Mamata Banerjee, and several leaders cutting across the political spectrum in India also condoled the death and offered their wishes to the Prime Minister.
- Cine personalities Rajinikanth, Dharmendra, Akshay Kumar, and Ajay Devgn on Friday expressed grief over the demise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother Heeraben Modi and wished him the strength to bear the loss. Anil Kapoor, Kajol, Kapil Sharma, and Siddharth Malhotra, among others also offered their condolences through social media.
- Notably, PM Modi was scheduled to visit West Bengal on Friday to launch various developmental projects, including a stretch of the Kolkata metro, and also to flag off the Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express. Since he could not remain present in West Bengal, the PM attended those programs in West Bengal via video conferencing from Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar.
- Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee especially thanked Modi for taking the efforts to attend the event despite his loss. " I do not know how to give my condolences to you and your family members. Sir, may god give you the strength to continue your walk. This is a very sad day for you, but you are still here virtually. It is an honorable thing to do. You are paying respects to your mother through your actions," she said while referring to Modi virtually at the inauguration of the Vande Bharat Express at Howrah railway station.
