A Mother’s Blessing Woven In Silk: Kashi Artisan Creates Portrait For PM Modi As A Birthday Gift

Varanasi/Siddharthnagar: For years, one of the most cherished moments of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday probably was seeking the blessings of his mother, Heeraben Modi. Following her death, the deeply personal ritual that must be living only in memory, has been recreated this year by a Kashi artisan painstakingly, thread by thread through rich handloom heritage.

Master weaver Sarvesh Kumar Srivastava has created a silk portrait showing Heeraben placing her hand in blessing over her son. Intended as a birthday gift for the Prime Minister, the portrait brings alive a son’s memories, a mother’s affection, woven with Varanasi’s centuries-old tradition.

According to Srivastava, the design draws inspiration from an ancient technique known as ‘Uchand Kala’, which he claims dates back to the time of Lord Ram. Made entirely with pure Indian silk threads, the portrait took nearly one-and-a-half months to complete. “This entire piece has been created without using machine, every part of it is made by hand, which requires a lot of time and patience,” Srivastava said.

He worked with two other artisans to complete the portrait, which will be sent to the Prime Minister as a special birthday gift on September 17. The image captures Heeraben with her hand raised over her son's head.

Priced at Rs 25,000, the portrait has been designed as a wall hanging and can be displayed at any place in the home. Srivastava said the design has already attracted a few orders.

This is not the first time Srivastava has used the Banarasi weaving tradition to mark a major national occasion. He had earlier sent a Banarasi sari to Modi on his birthday. He also created a special sari inspired by the Ram Temple and commissioned saris featuring World Cup-themed designs as gifts for cricketers during the tournament.

His latest creation showcasing Kashi’s rich handloom heritage, however, carries an emotional appeal. Apart from its intricate craftsmanship, the piece, Srivastava says, seeks to preserve in silk one of the most personal images associated with the Prime Minister.

Month-Long ‘Seva Sankalp’ Campaign Planned

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party is making extensive preparations across the country to mark Modi’s birthday through public-service activities. In Siddharthnagar, district in-charge minister Anil Rajbhar chaired a meeting at the Collectorate to review preparations for the month-long ‘Seva Sankalp’ campaign planned for the occasion. Rajbhar, who holds the Labour, Employment and Coordination portfolios, shared details of the programmes proposed under the campaign.

Dumariyaganj MP Jagdambika Pal, Bansi MLA Jai Pratap Singh, Kapilvastu MLA Shyamdhani Rahi, Zila Panchayat president Sheetal Singh, BJP Gorakhpur regional minister Kanhaiya Paswan, district BJP president Deepak Maurya, District Magistrate Shivarshanappa GN and Superintendent of Police Abhishek Mahajan were among those present.