The monk who changed Narendra Modi’s life

When Narendra Modi meets an ailing 95-year-old monk during his visit to Kolkata on May 9, he would be keeping a promise made to the guru whose advice led Modi to politics — and, eventually, the country's prime ministership, reports The Times Of India.

Modi is expected to call on Swami Atmasthananda, head monk of the Ramkrishna Mission at the Belur Math near Kolkata, as soon as he touches down in the city for a two-day visit. The last time he visited Belur was in 2013, when Modi was still the Gujarat CM. He had promised to return.

Modi and the swami go back a long way. Not many know that Modi had a "prasadi" flower in his jacket pocket when he took oath as Prime Minister on May 26, 2014. It had arrived along with a letter addressing him as Narendrabhai, from Swami Atmasthananda in Belur.

In 1966, Swami Atmasthananda had come to Rajkot in Gujarat to head the city's RKM ashram. During his stint in Rajkot, a young Narendra, inspired by the life of Swami Vivekananda, reached his doorstep to take refuge at the ashram. He had already spent some years wandering and wanted to train himself for a spiritual life.

After spending some time at the ashram under Atmasthananda's tutelage, Modi told him he wanted to become a monk. But the head monk replied that sanyas (renunciation) was not for him. The Rajkot ashram anyway could not confer monkship and Modi would have to go to the RKM headquarters in Belur to pursue his wish.

Atmasthananda wrote a letter to the then president of RKM, Swami Madhavananda, and sent Modi with the letter to him in Belur. Madhavananda also turned down Modi's plea. His work was meant to be among the people and not in seclusion, young Narendra was told.

Modi returned to Gujarat and was back with his guru, Atmasthananda, at Rajkot for a while. A short while later, he joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and a life in politics followed.

The last time Modi visited Atmasthananda, he was still keeping well and the two had a long conversation. The monk blessed Modi, who sat by his feet.

When Modi returns to see the swami, he may have to visit him in hospital as the head monk has been ailing since February. But meanwhile, Modi has promised RKM a proper investigation into the theft of relics of Ramkrishna Paramhansa's wife, Ma Sarada, stolen from the museum in Belur Math.

Modi has also offered to help RKM get the house where Swami Vivekananada had lived for some days in Aligarh, restored as an ashram. The PM will be going to Belur with updates on these two issues.