BHUBANESWAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi became emotional recalling his late mother Heeraben Modi’s affection for him after being served ‘khiri’ (rice pudding) at the home of a tribal family in the city on Tuesday.
“When I used to visit my mother to seek her blessings on my birthdays, she would feed me gur (jaggery). Though my mother is not there anymore, a tribal mother served me ‘khiri’ and blessed me on my birthday,” the prime minister said during his public address at the launch of Subhadra Yojana here.
The prime minister also said, “This love and affection is the capital that I have earned in my life. The transformation in the lives of the needy and their happiness is what gives me energy to work more.”
Upon landing in Bhubaneswar earlier in the day, Modi went to Gadakana Upper Sabar Sahi slum to handover keys of PMAY housing units to some beneficiaries and also attended their Griha Pravesh ceremony.
The prime minister went to the home of Antarjyami Nayak and Jahaja Nayak and met their family members including their 11-month-old grandchild Soumyajit. During the meeting, he was served khiri which Nayak family had prepared for their Griha Pravesh.
Antarjyami’s daughter-in-law Sadhabi said, “Our family was elated to see Prime Minister Modi eating khiri prepared by me at our home. Since it was his birthday, we requested him to try it and he happily agreed. He even praised us and said the khiri was delicious.”
Sadhabi said they were touched by the humble gesture of the prime minister, especially when he removed his shoes outside while entering their home. “The prime minister even offered prayers to the deities at home. This was what we loved the most,” she said.
During his interaction with the Nayak family, Modi enquired about the problems they faced while living in their previous house and asked them if they were happy in their new home.
“We used to live in a thatched house and faced a lot of problems, especially during rains when it was not possible to even cook and have a proper meal. Attending nature’s call was also a major problem,” Sadhabi told TNIE.
The prime minister also interacted with other PMAY-Urban beneficiaries at Gadakana. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Housing and Urban Development minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra accompanied him.