Somabhai Modi (Narendra Modi’s brother) Wiki, Age, Family, Biography & More

Somabhai Modi is an Indian activist, former Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s health department inspector, and a politician of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The 14th Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, is his younger brother.

Wiki/Biography

Somabhai Damodardas Modi was born on Thursday, 19 November 1942 (age 80 years; as of 2022) in Vadnagar, Mehsana district, Bombay Presidency, British India (now in Gujarat, India). ^[1]The Economic Times His zodiac sign is Scorpio.

Family

Parents & Siblings

His father, Damodardas Mulchand Modi, was a tea vendor. He passed away in 1989. His mother, Heeraben Modi, died on 30 December 2022.

He has four brothers and a sister. His brother Amrut Modi worked as a lathe machine operator. His brother Narendra Modi is the 14th Prime Minister of India. His brother Prahlad Modi is a politician. His brother Pankaj Modi worked as a clerk in the Information Department of the Gujarat government. His sister’s name is Vasantiben Hasmukhlal Modi.

Wife & Children

His wife’s name is Chandrika. He has two sons who are mechanical engineers.

Religion

Somabhai Modi follows Hinduism.

Caste

Somabhai Modi belongs to the Modh-Ghanchi caste, which was categorized as OBC in 1994. ^[2]News Express – YouTube

Career

Municipal Corporation

Since Soma was interested in studies, he did not join his father in running the tea stall. After passing the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) examination, Soma joined the health department in 1960 and served in the AMC till his superannuation in 2013 as an inspector.

Politics

Somabhai Modi became a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1994. Before any election, the party asked him to visit different constituencies in Gujarat to prepare and submit a report regarding the issues faced by people living there. Soma, however, did not pursue a career in politics as it failed to appeal to him. Although various BJP politicians repeatedly requested him to venture into politics, he always denied it. Talking about it, in an interview, he said,

I have always had this clarity that I don’t want to get into politics. Mai swatantrata se kaam karate rahana chahata hoon.”

Social Activism

Somabhai Modi established a trust named Sarvoday Seva Trust on 26 March 1999 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. He founded Visamo Vruddhashram, an old age home, in memory of his father, Damodardas Mulchand Modi, on 29 January 2001. Under the aegis of Sarvoday Seva Trust, Soma established a physiotherapy centre on 7 May 2006. He expanded his trust by establishing a clinic named Dard Nivaran Suvidha Kendra. The clinic provides treatment to people suffering from severe back and neck pains. On 16 February 2021, Visamo Vruddhashram was renamed Swargast Damordas Moolchand Modi Sewasharam on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the old age home. His mother, Heeraben Modi, inaugurated the bust of Damodardas Mulchand Modi. Talking about it, in an interview, Soma said,

It was a quiet and private function. My mother Hiraba inaugurated the bust. Along with members at our old age home and few close people from our town we had organised a small celebration.”

Damodardas Mulchand Modi’s bust being innaugurating Soma and Heeraben

Facts/Trivia

• According to Somabhai Modi, when Narendra Modi told him that he wanted to become a politician, he was sceptical of his decision due to the instability that politics might create in Narendra’s life. Talking about it, he said,
  

  I was a bit worried, of course. No one from our family was in politics. I was afraid that his life will be unstable.”

• Somabhai Modi once wrote a letter to Narendra Modi during his tenure as the Chief Minister of Gujarat. In his letter, he advised him to refrain from highlighting his acquaintances during public meetings as it was inappropriate. Soma wrote a letter when Narendra Modi asked about the well-being of an old acquaintance, present in a public meeting among several other attendees. The letter read,
  

  I felt it was not okay. I wrote that it was not ideal to highlight acquaintance during such a public meeting. You were sitting there in the capacity of a judge. People can object to it, and they can also misinterpret your judgement – it doesn’t matter that you might have made an unbiased decision. I wrote about a film I’d watched long ago, Sohrab Modi’s Nausherwan-e-Adil, in which Nausherwan punishes his son for a crime despite his wife’s wailing.”

  

  Soma Modi with his younger brother Narendra Modi during an event

• Somabhai Modi passionately follows his hobby of reading and likes the work of various authors like Kanhaiyalal Munshi, Ramanlal Desai, Pannalal Patel, and Munshi Premchand.

• Somabhai Modi is the vice president of Global Indians for Bharat Vikas (GIBV).