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Damodardas Mulchand Modi (Narendra Modi's Father) Biography: Age, Life

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 29, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birthJune 1915

Age74 Years (at time of death)

BirthplaceVadnagar, Mehsana, Gujarat

ProfessionTea Vendor

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseHeeraben Modi

FamilySix children including Narendra Modi

Damodardas Mulchand Modi (Narendra Modi's Father) Biography

Damodardas Mulchand Modi was a tea vendor from Vadnagar, Gujarat, best known as the father of Narendra Modi. Born in June 1915, he ran a tea stall at the V

Early life and background

Damodardas Mulchand Modi was born in June 1915 in Vadnagar, in what is today Mehsana district of Gujarat. He belonged to the Modh Ghanchi community and practised Hinduism. He grew up in a large family: his father was Moolchand Maganlal Modi and his grandfather was Ranchhodas Modi. He had five brothers, several of whom later retired from public service or teaching.

Career

Damodardas made his living as a tea vendor. For many years he operated a tea stall at the Vadnagar Railway Station. Accounts of his routine note that he opened the stall very early each morning and would often stop to pray at a nearby temple before beginning the day’s work. His stall is remembered as a place where his children, including his youngest son, sometimes helped during their childhood.

Family and personal life

Damodardas married Heeraben Modi; the couple had six children together—five sons and a daughter. Their sons included Somabhai (a retired health department officer), Amrut (a retired lathe machine operator), Prahlad (a shop owner), Pankaj (a clerk in the Gujarat government’s Information Department) and Narendra Modi, who later became the 14th Prime Minister of India. Their daughter, Vasantiben Hasmukhlal Modi, is described as a homemaker. Heeraben Modi survived Damodardas and later died in December 2022.

Later years and death

Damodardas Modi died in 1989 at the age of 74 in Vadnagar. The licensed information states that he succumbed after a battle with bone cancer. At the time of his passing, his son Narendra was serving as General Secretary (Organisation) of the Bharatiya Janata Party and had recently returned from a pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar.

Legacy and commemorations

Several initiatives and memorials have honored Damodardas’s memory. An old age home founded in his name, Visamo Vruddhashram, was established in 2001 on the occasion of Vasant Panchami. That institution later celebrated its 20th anniversary in February 2021; it was then renamed Swargast Damordas Moolchand Modi Sewasharam and a bust of Damodardas was inaugurated in a private ceremony attended by family members, including Heeraben and Somabhai. Somabhai had earlier established an NGO, the Sarvodaya Seva Trust, in March 1999.

Public profile

Damodardas is most widely known through his relationship to his son Narendra Modi. Biographical accounts note that Narendra left the family home in 1967 and that his visits home were rare thereafter; he was present for a brief return in 1989 when Damodardas was dying. In later public remembrances, Narendra Modi referenced his parents’ birthdays and family milestones, noting in 2022 that both parents would have reached their centenary years that year.

Latest updates

The licensed material records the renaming and commemoration of the old age home in Damodardas’s name in 2021 and mentions Heeraben Modi’s death on 30 December 2022. It also records the founding of the Sarvodaya Seva Trust by Somabhai in 1999 and the establishment of the old age home in 2001.
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Recent Work

Commemoration: Renaming of Visamo Vruddhashram

Visamo Vruddhashram, an old age home founded in Damodardas's memory in 2001, completed 20 years in 2021 and was renamed Swargast Damordas Moolchand Modi Sewasharam. A bust of Damodardas was inaugurated in a private ceremony.

2021
Sarvodaya Seva Trust founded by Somabhai Modi

An NGO established by Somabhai Modi in memory of family service initiatives.

1999
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Career Highlights

  1. Operated a tea stall at Vadnagar Railway Station
  2. Worked as a tea vendor supporting a large family
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Damodardas Mulchand Modi (Narendra Modi's Father) born?

June 1915

What is Damodardas Mulchand Modi (Narendra Modi's Father) known for?

Tea Vendor

What is Damodardas Mulchand Modi (Narendra Modi's Father)’s marital status?

Married

Who is Damodardas Mulchand Modi (Narendra Modi's Father) married to?

Heeraben Modi