Mother of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Hiraben Modi, who passed away in the wee hours of Friday was cremated in Gandhinagar. PM Modi reached Gujarat early this morning and performed the last rites at Muktidham crematorium in Sector 30 of Gandhinagar.
She was 100.
The family members of Hiraben thanked everyone for their prayers and requested people to continue with their scheduled work, saying it would be a befitting tribute to her.
“We thank everyone for their prayers in these tough times. It is our humble request to everyone to keep the departed soul in their thoughts and continue with their pre decided schedule and commitments. That would be a befitting tribute to Hiraba.”
PM Modi was scheduled to launch the developmental projects in West Bengal, including the meeting of the National Ganga Council. He will now join the events via video conferencing.
A bulletin from the U.N. Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre, where she was admitted on Wednesday after her health deteriorated, informed the news of her demise.
“Hiraben Modi passed away on 30/12/2022 at 3.30 a.m. during the treatment at U.N. Mehta Heart Hospital”, the medical bulletin said.
Following her death, the Prime Minister posted a heartfelt tweet, “A glorious century rests at the feet of God… In Maa, I have always felt that trinity, which contains the journey of an ascetic, the symbol of a selfless Karmayogi and a life committed to values.”
PM Modi reached Ahmedabad from Delhi on Wednesday afternoon and visited the hospital to meet his mother. He remained at the hospital for more than an hour and had also spoken to doctors at the hospital, a government-funded autonomous medical facility.
Hiraben, also called Hiraba, lived at Raysan village near Gandhinagar city with PM Modi’s younger brother Pankaj Modi. The prime minister regularly visited Raysan and spent time with his mother during most of his Gujarat visits.
Paying tributes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mother, Home Minister Amit Shah said, “a mother is the first friend and teacher of a person’s life and the pain of losing a mother is undoubtedly the biggest pain in the world.”
“The struggles faced by Hira Ba to nurture the family are a role model for all. Her sacrificial ascetic life will always be in our memory. The entire nation stands with Prime Minister Modi and his family in this hour of grief. The prayers of crores of people are with you (Modi). Om Shanti,” he said.
Expressing grief, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said mother’s demise creates a void in life that is impossible to fill.
“I am deeply pained by the passing away of Hira Ba, mother of Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi. The death of a mother leaves such a void in one’s life that is impossible to fill. I express my condolences to the Prime Minister and his entire family in this hour of grief,” Singh said in a tweet.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi paid tribute to the Prime Minsiter’s mother and said, “The news of the demise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mother, Mrs. Hira Ba is extremely sad. At this difficult time, I extend my deepest condolences and love to him and his family.”
