Narendra Modi reveals parts of childhood, his love for 'Bambai'

Modi's account goes on to add how he would open his father's tea stall at the railway station, clean it up and then go to school.

When a top politician decides to go on an indie or viral platform, you can be sure that they have more to gain than the platform. It was the case when Obama plugged his healthcare bill on Between Two Ferns. It was true of Kejriwal when he appeared in TVF's viral Arnub series. And so it is true with Narendra Modi, who featured in The Humans of Bombay as their first big profile of 2019.

How did that come about? Modi says he always heard about references to 'Bambai' around him and wondered if he would ever get to see the city of dreams. 'I would hear some traders speak about Bambai and wonder, "Will I ever get to see the city of dreams?" I was always curious – I would go to the library and read everything I could get my hands on," he said in the post. Well, not only has he seen the city of dreams, but he will also be finishing five years at the seat of power, not to forget the 90+ countries he has visited since becoming PM. Whether such social media campaigns will help him do an encore remains to be seen.

 

 

 

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(1/5) “My family of 8 lived in a 40x12 feet house–it was small, but enough for us. Our days began at 5 AM when my mother would provide traditional forms of curing & healing to newborns & small children. All night, my brother & I would keep the ‘chula’ going for her to use. She didn’t have the fortune of getting an education, but God was kind & she had a special way of curing ailments. Mothers would line up outside our home because she was known for her healing touch. Then, I would open my father’s tea stall at the railway station, clean up & go to school. As soon as school ended, I would rush back to help him, but what I really looked forward to was meeting people from all over India. I would serve them tea & listen to their stories–that’s how I learnt to speak Hindi. I would hear some traders speak about ‘Bambai’ & wonder, ‘Will I ever get to see the city of dreams?’ I was always curious–I’d go to the library & read everything I could get my hands on. I was 8 when I attended my first RSS meeting & 9 when I was a part of an effort to better the lives of others–I set up a food stall with my friends to help the victims of floods in parts of Gujarat. I wanted to do more, but knew we had little means. Still, even at that age, I believed that God has made us all alike. It didn’t matter what circumstances I was born into, I could be something more. So when you ask me what my struggles were, I’ll tell you that I had none. I came from nothing, knew no luxury & hadn’t seen a ‘better’ life, so in my small world...I was happy. If the way was ever difficult, I made my own way. I had a great need to look sharp & groomed. So even though we couldn’t afford an iron, I would heat coal, use an old ‘lota’, wrap a cloth around it & press my clothes–the effect was the same, then why complain? This was the beginning of everything that I am today & I didn’t even know it at the time. So if you ask the 8 year old Narendra Modi, running around serving chai & cleaning his father’s tea stall, whether he even dared to dream about becoming the Prime Minister of India, his answer would be no. Never. It was too far to even think about.” #TheModiStory

A post shared by Humans of Bombay (@officialhumansofbombay) onJan 5, 2019 at 2:32am PST

Narendra Modi's image was posted alongside a caption where PM Modi spoke about his humble beginnings, early life, his mother and how he never even 'dared to dream about becoming the Prime Minister of India.'

Hashtagged #TheModiStory, the image forms a five-part series on the leader.

In the caption, PM said that his family of 8 lived in a 40x12 feet house, which was small, "but enough for us."

Speaking about his mother he added, "Our days began at 5 AM when my mother would provide traditional forms of curing & healing to newborns & small children. All night, my brother & I would keep the 'chula' going for her to use. She didn't have the fortune of getting an education, but God was kind & she had a special way of curing ailments. Mothers would line up outside our home because she was known for her healing touch."

Modi's account goes on to add how he would open his father's tea stall at the railway station, clean it up and then go to school.

The quote alongside the image also revealed how Modi was a curious child who would go to the library and read everything that he could get his hands on as well as giving an insight as to when Modi first got introduced to the RSS.

"I was 8 when I attended my first RSS meeting & 9 when I was a part of an effort to better the lives of others. I set up a food stall with my friends to help the victims of floods in parts of Gujarat. I wanted to do more, but knew we had little means."

The post, which has been liked over 36,000 times since being posted, sees users appreciating not just the post, but the whole account.

The Humans of Bombay post on Modi concludes with his quote and shocking revelation, "This was the beginning of everything that I am today & I didn't even know it at the time. So if you ask the 8 year old Narendra Modi, running around serving chai & cleaning his father's tea stall, whether he even dared to dream about becoming the Prime Minister of India, his answer would be no. Never. It was too far to even think about."

With inputs from ANI

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