Page 11 - SocialHarmony

14 Social Harmony

made him go from house-to-house collecting sukhdi (a Gujarati
dish) for the hungry people and fodder for animals during the
harsh drought in 1986 87. It is only his passion for the happiness
for the common man that made him celebrate Diwali with
earthquake victims in Kutch and relish a simple ‘Rotla’ made
by a poor girl at the end of the day.

Even after assuming the office of the Chief Minister, Shri
Narendra Modi worked tirelessly for equality, love and
harmony. His persona signifies consistency in thoughts, beliefs
and lifestyle, whether in 1984 or 2009.

Every year, Shri Narendra Modi celebrates his birthday in
the service of the poor. Unlike other political leaders who
celebrate their birthdays with pomp and grandeur, Shri
Narendra Modi believes in simplicity. He sent a train load of
goods worth five and a half crore rupees to flood victims in
Bihar, and his total aid to them has been around twenty crore
rupees so far. Forty-three years ago, at the age of 18, he had
worked dedicatedly for the people who had lost everything in
the Bihar floods.

When Shri Narendra Modi was studying in the ninth
standard, the month of Shravan (as per lunar calendar) brought
severe floods to many parts of the country. The inhabitants of
those areas were badly affected in floods and many lost
everything. When Shri Narendra Modi heard about this, he felt
a strong urge to help the flood-affected people by sending
something. But what could he send? His family was not
financially sound enough to justify his taking money from his
parents. Even at such a young age, his intelligence shone
through. A religious fair had been organized at Gaurikund in
his town Vadnagar to mark the holy month of Shravan.
Narendrabhai’s father gave a rupee to spend at the fair. Any 13-
14 years-old would have preferred to enjoy himself at the fair,
but Narendrabhai’s concern for the flood victims was
paramount. He felt that even the one rupee given by his father
should be sent to the flood-affected people, but he knew that it
was too little. He convinced all his friends to set up a tea stall at
the fair instead of spending money for their own enjoyment