A former teacher of Narendra Modi has revealed that long before his rise to the position of Chief Minister of Gujarat and subsequently Prime Minister of India, he was recognized as a sharp student and quick learner. This insight into Modi’s early educational journey adds depth to his background, showcasing his intellectual capabilities during his formative years.
PM Modi played the role of folk hero Jogidas Khuman and performed with a sword while speaking in the Kathiyawadi dialect. He also remembered PM Modi helping his father, Damodardas Modi, who ran a small tea stall near BN High School and the railway station. As a young boy, PM Modi would go to the Vadnagar railway station twice a day to sell tea to passengers and help his father.
Speaking to NDTV on the occasion of the prime minister’s 76th birthday and completion of 25 years in public service, HC Patel said that every Thursday, the school held social and cultural programmes, where PM Modi delivered speeches on leaders such as Swami Vivekananda. Patel, who taught PM Modi Mathematics and Science in Classes 10 and 11 at BN High School in Vadnagar from June 1965 to May 1967, also recalled an incident from a school play organised to raise money to build a compound wall. The only time he would stay away was when an activity clashed with the local RSS shakha, which he regularly attended with around 20 to 25 other youngsters, he said. Patel also recalled that PM Modi would sometimes bring a Muslim classmate home in Class 11 so they could eat together. The tea stall was around 50 feet from a banyan tree near the school, according to Patel.
PM Modi wanted to take part in almost every school activity, according to Patel. He said PM Modi showed respect for people of different religions even during his school days. He once brought a baby crocodile home from the pond, Patel said, but put it back after his mother, Hiraben, got worried.
