Success Story Of Narendra Modi; The Journey From Being A Tea Vendor To The Prime Minister Of India

It is said that your attitude is your altitude; it determines how high you fly. This simple yet crucial statement was well understood by a little boy from Vadnagar, India.

In September 1950, just three years after India got her Independence from the British Raj, Narendra, the son of Damodardas Modi and Hiraba Modi, was born into a family that had to struggle hard in order to make ends meet. Vadnagar in Mehsana district of Gujarat, the place that was once visited by the famous Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang and also a place known for its richness in terms of spirituality and learning was the hometown of Narendra. It was in their small single storey house that Narenda, the third of the six children of the Modis began to dream of a life where he could wipe the tears of the suffering people and make a big difference to their lives.

Little Narendra went to school and also assisted his father in selling tea in their tea stall at the local railway station of Vadnagar. An ardent lover of debates and reading, Narendra spent hours in his school library. Having friends from different communities, he celebrated Hindu as well as Muslim festivals with the same zeal. Modi was only eight years old when he got introduced to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and met Lakshmanrao Inamdar, the man who is known for being his political guru and mentor.

Keeping track with their family tradition, the parents of Narendra Modi got him engaged to Jashodaben Chimanlal when he was just thirteen. But Narendra, who was known for being ‘balswayamsevak’ or a junior cadet in RSS had already given his heart to politics. Therefore even after he got married to Jashodaben before he was eighteen, Narendra could not pursue his marital life and left home to chase his dreams.

He had a vivid journey. He visited the Ramkrishna Mission in Rajkot and then the Belur math in Kolkata. Then he left for Guwahati and joined an ashram that was established by Swami Vivekananda in the foothills of the Himalayas. Sometime later he came back home only for a while and again set out for Ahmedabad.

Moved by the works ok Swami Vivekananda,  Modi embarked on a journey of spiritualism and took on himself the responsibility of fulfilling Swamiji’s dream of a ‘Jagad Guru Bharat’. Narendra was only 9 years old when a massive flood in the Tapi river created a havoc. This little boy took a step forward and set up a food stall with his friends. The proceeds were all donated for the relief work. His attempt to serve his Mother India at this tender age was indeed remarkable which silently laid the foundation of the making of a worthy Prime Minister of the nation.

Modi left no stone unturned wondering how to serve his nation. He also dreamt of joining the Indian Army; but strong opposition from his family never let him fulfil this dream.  Modi has always been a mighty dreamer. He has always been guided by his principle of Antyodaya or ‘serving the farthest’. Thus, ever since Modi became the Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001, he ensured a steady growth of GDP. In fact, Gujarat has shown an overall growth encompassing agriculture, manufacture and services under this man of development.

The dreamer Narendra Modi has said, “I did not get an opportunity to die for the country, but I have got an opportunity to live for the country”. This man who had dreamt of providing each and every home in the state of Gujarat with electricity, succeeded in fulfilling his dream by setting up Asia’s largest solar field. His dream project consists of solar power plants at Asia’s largest solar park at Charnka village, as well as solar units at 10 other places in Gujarat. Giving his own state and its people a global recognition Modi had said, “This achievement is not merely a step in the direction of power conservation, it provides the world with a vision that how the power needs of the future generations can be solved in an environment-friendly manner”.

No wonder, Modi has evolved over the years as a true leader of, for and by the people. His attitude has made him reach new heights of popularity so much so that he won the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in India by a huge majority and made a clean sweep.

The day Narendra Damodardas Modi swore in as the 15th Prime Minister of India was a day that promised a new beginning.