THE MODI MEMORABILIA
Vadnagar, the railway station where Narendra Modi sold tea as a child, gets an impressive facelift and broad-gauge connectivity. It’s as much about immortalising the PM’s past as it is about nurturing the town’s present
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated a series of railway infrastructure projects around Ahmedabad on July 16, all eyes were fixed on the Gandhinagar Capital railway station, redeveloped with modern amenities and billed as worldclass. Of the four other stations that got a facelift, as part of electrification and broad-gauge conversion of the 55-kmlong Mehsana-Varetha rail line, one stood out for its association with a VVIP politician and the legacy of his days as a ‘chaiwala’. Vadnagar station, where, the story goes, a young boy called Narendra used to help his father Damodardas Modi sell tea on the platform.
Modi has always worn the teaseller identity on his sleeve, as a badge of his connect with the masses. For his ardent fans, the PM’s ‘chaiwala’ past symbolises every ordinary Indian’s rise to success against all odds. The older part of the refurbished Vadnagar station preserves this legacy.
In the old canteen, housed within a wood and metal structure, lies a table top with a small fireplace that would have run on coal or wood back in the day. It was here that Modi, till he was eight years old, helped his father run their tea stall. There are no pictures or memorabilia linking the PM to the place but it attracts many tourists and visitors. During his July 16 visit to Vadnagar station, railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw instructed officials to beautify the canteen. Railway officials say the canteen will be spruced up and enclosed within a glass structure.
Vadnagar is a town in Gujarat’s Mehsana district and is located about 100 km from Ahmedabad. Census 2011 puts its population at around 150,000. For long, Vadnagar remained cut off from the state’s major rail networks, depriving its residents of the socioeconomic advantages that come with good transport connectivity.
With the gauge upgrade and
electrification, the station is gaining importance, now that it is linked to the Ahmedabad-Jaipur-Delhi railway hub. Railway officials say this will speed up passenger travel besides economic prosperity for the town and the region at large. Agriculture is the main economic activity, with tobacco, groundnut, cotton and castor being the main cash crops. The broad-gauge line is expected to open up opportunities for both farmers and traders and attract industry in the long run.
Besides the Mehsana-Varetha section, the railways have also completed electrification of the Surendra NagarPipavav stretch. The route is crucial for freight movement between the Pipavav port and North India. The star attraction among the projects inaugurated by PM Modi is the Gandhinagar Capital railway station, with a 318-room five-star hotel built by the Leela Group atop it. The station, redeveloped at a cost of Rs 71.5 crore, has an interfaith prayer hall, a baby feeding room, a green (environmentfriendly) building and extensive fire safety, among a host of features.
Vadnagar is Modi’s hometown but none of his family members live here anymore. Modi’s mother, Heeraben, lives in Gandhinagar with his brother Pankajbhai. The PM’s other brother, Somabhai, stays in Ahmedabad and often visits Vadnagar to oversee an old age home he runs here. Modi lived in Vadnagar’s Kala Vasudev locality. The family house was sold to a Thakur family after his father’s demise. “At the age of eight, Narendra Modi came in contact with RSS functionaries, especially Laxmanrao Inamdar, who introduced him to the Sangh and made him a bal swayamsewak,” says Upendrabhai Patel, a resident of Vadnagar.
Following a visit by Union culture ministry officials, Modi’s primary school in Vadnagar is being renovated and is likely to be converted into a ‘prerna kendra’ (centre of inspiration). The town itself has undergone changes as part of development of the VadnagarModhera-Patan heritage tourism circuit. A pathway has been built along the Sharmishtha Lake and the Kirti Toran monument has been restored. “While we appreciate the beautification of the lake, the inauguration has been delayed. Besides, municipal authorities need to bear in mind the PM’s Swachh Bharat slogan and focus on cleanliness,” says Upendra Patel, a local tour guide.
At the new clock tower, Jitendra Prajapati runs a tea outlet. His claim to fame is that his house was located opposite Modi’s. “The PM’s father helped my father set up this tea shop. Our town is world famous due to Modiji. He has bestowed greatness upon it,” says Prajapati. The mood in Vadnagar is upbeat—courtesy the PM, there’s a legacy to cherish and a future to look forward to.
Connected to the Ahmedabad-JaipurDelhi rail hub, Vadnagar is gaining importance. The upgrade is expected to speed up passenger travel and bring economic prosperity to the region