By Lalit Garg Heeraben Modi: Writer, Journalist, Columnist E-253, Saraswati Kunj Apartment A Life Devoted to Values & Selflessness 25 IP Extensions, Patparganj, Delhi-92 e mail: [email protected] Lalit Garg Phone: 22727486, 9811051133 Hiraben's whole life has been a mix of inspirations. She was punctual, she had a habit of getting up at 4 in the morning, she used to finish a lot of work early in the morning. Be it grinding wheat, grinding millets, picking rice or pulses, she used to do all the work herself. She used to hum some of her favorite bhajans or prabhatis while working. A famous hymn of Narsi Mehta ji is “Jalkamal chhandi jaane bala, swami amaro jagshe” she liked it very much. There is also a lullaby, "Shivaji nu halardu", Heeraben used to hum it a lot. To get two to four paise more for running the house, Heeraben used to wash the utensils of others. She used to take out time to spin the charkha as well because that too earned some money. The work of extracting cotton from cotton rind, the work of making yarn from cotton, Heeraben herself used to do all these things. She was also very fond of decorating the house, making the house beautiful. She used to work the whole day to make the house look beautiful and clean. She used to cover the ground inside the house with cow dung. Her life was self-supporting. It was simple and restrained. Maa' Heeraben' is that supernatural word, which makes Narendra Modi's heart full of love and emotions and he felt so inspired and energized by hearing the word ‘Maa’. For him 'Maa' is that powerful mantra, whose mere utterance destroys every pain. According to Modi, the love and glory of 'Mother' cannot be described in words, it can only be felt; who gave ideal values to me and my family. In my view, the rituals given by her are their origin; which is the basic identity of every mother. Her values and memory are the basis of Modi's future life. A TO Z INDIA FEBRUARY 2022 PAGE 8