Page 58 - NIS English 01-15 July 2022
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Nation PM's Blog
She would request the Sadhus to visit Gandhinagar, I call on her for a short while.
bless us children rather than asking I don’t get to meet her as often as I used to
anything for herself. She would urge earlier. However, I have never felt any discontent
from Mother over my absence. Her love and
them, “Bless my children so that affection remain the same; her blessings remain
they are happy in others’ joys and the same. Mother often asks me “Are you happy
empathetic in their sorrows. Let them in Delhi? Do you like it?”
She keeps assuring me that I should not
have bhakti (devotion for the Divine) worry about her and lose focus on the larger
and sevabhav (service to others).” responsibilities. Whenever I speak to her on the
phone, she says “Never do anything wrong or
A few hours later, I left home. By then, even my anything bad with anyone and keep working for
father had come to terms with my decision and the poor.”
gave me his blessings. Before leaving, Mother If I look back at my parents’ lives, their
fed me curd and jaggery, for an auspicious new honesty and self-respect have been their biggest
beginning. She knew that my life would become qualities. Despite struggling with poverty and its
extremely different henceforth. Mothers may be accompanying challenges, my parents never
extremely adept at controlling their emotions but left the path of honesty or compromised on
always find it hard when their child leaves home. their self-respect. They had only one mantra to
Mother was teary eyed but there were immense overcome any challenge - hard work, constant
blessings for my future. hard work!
Once I left home, her blessings were the only In his life, my father never became a burden
constant that remained with me irrespective on anyone. Mother too tries to ensure that - she
of where I was and how I was. Mother always does her own chores as much as possible.
speaks with me in Gujarati. In Gujarati, ‘tu’ is Today, whenever I meet Mother, she always
used to say ‘you’ to those who are younger or tells me “I don’t want to be served by anyone, I
equal. If we wish to say ‘you’ to someone older want to go with all my limbs working.”
or senior, we say ‘tamé’. As a child, Mother would In my Mother’s life story, I see the penance,
always address me as ‘tu’. However, once I left sacrifice, and contribution of India’s matrushakti.
home and embarked on a new path, she stopped Whenever I look at Mother and crores of women
using ‘tu’. Since then, she has always addressed like her, I find there is nothing that is unachievable
me with ‘tamé’ or ‘aap’. for Indian women.
Mother has always inspired me to have a Far beyond every tale of deprivation, is the
strong resolve and focus on garib kalyan. I glorious story of a mother,
remember when it was decided that I would be Far above every struggle, is the strong resolve
the Chief Minister of Gujarat, I was not present of a mother.
in the state. As soon as I landed there, I went Ma, a very happy birthday to you.
straight to meet Mother. She was extremely Best wishes as you start your birth centenary
ecstatic and inquired if I was going to again stay year.
with her. But she knew my answer! She then I have never been able to muster the courage
told me, “I don’t understand your work in the to write at length publicly about your life until
government, but I just want you to never take a now.
bribe.” I pray to the Almighty for your health and
After moving to Delhi, my meetings with her wellbeing, and your blessings on all of us.
are even fewer than before. Sometimes when I I bow at your feet.
56 New India Samachar July 1-15, 2022
