Narendra Modi facts you may not know: 10 little-known details from Indian PM's life
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public life has spanned decades in politics, organisation and government, but several lesser-known episodes from his early years offer a glimpse into the journey that preceded his rise to the country’s highest elected office.
From writing poetry and considering a life with the Ramakrishna Mission to working long hours as an RSS pracharak, Modi has recounted a number of these experiences himself, while others have been documented by the Prime Minister’s Office and news reports.
Also read: Narendra Modi daily routine: What Prime Minister's habits reveal about his journey
Here are 10 lesser-known details from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s life and journey.
Narendra Modi is also a poet
Long before he became Prime Minister, Modi wrote poetry, primarily in Gujarati and Hindi. His creative writing has dealt with patriotism, spirituality, sacrifice, perseverance and service.
The New Indian Express reported that Modi wrote Kargil during the 1999 Kargil War, including lines comparing soldiers and farmers. His poems have also included Vijay Nu Parod, Utho Veer, Vande Mataram, Saugandh Mujhe Iss Mitti Ki, Abhi Toh Suraj Uga Hai, Ek Bharat Naya Banana Hai and Yahi Samay Hai, Sahi Samay Hai, Bharat Ka Anmol Samay Hai. Some of his poetry has subsequently featured in his public addresses, including Independence Day speeches.
His RSS routine began at 5 am and stretched late into the night
According to Modi’s official biography, he left home at 17 and spent about two years travelling across India before returning with a clearer sense of purpose. He subsequently moved to Ahmedabad and joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
The Prime Minister’s website says Modi became an RSS pracharak in 1972 and describes the routine as demanding: his day began at 5 am and continued until late at night. During the Emergency in the late 1970s, he also became involved in the movement to restore democracy.
He grew up in a small house with no windows
In his March 2025 conversation with podcaster Lex Fridman, Modi described his childhood as one of extreme poverty. He recalled living with his parents, siblings, uncles, aunts and grandparents in a small house without windows.
At the same time, Modi said his family did not feel the burden of poverty in the way it might be understood today because they had no basis for comparison. He also recalled his father as disciplined and hardworking and his mother as someone who cared for children in the neighbourhood using traditional remedies. The account was published by the Prime Minister’s Office following the podcast.
As a youngster, he deliberately tested himself against the cold
Modi has also described experimenting with physical endurance during his youth.
In the Lex Fridman podcast, he recalled being influenced by books about figures such as Swami Vivekananda and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He said this curiosity led him to test his own physical limits, including by deliberately sleeping outside in cold weather.
The episode formed part of a broader account by Modi of his early interest in spirituality, self-discipline and service.
Also read: 'Modinomics' basis of India's rapid economic growth, says Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
He once wanted to join the Ramakrishna Mission
Modi’s association with the Ramakrishna Mission dates back to his youth, when he was influenced by Swami Vivekananda’s teachings and sought to participate in the life of the organisation.
A 2013 Times of India report documented Modi’s visit to Belur Math as Gujarat chief minister and his long association with the mission. The report said that as a young man he had wanted to become a monk of the Ramakrishna Mission and had travelled to its centres, including Rajkot, where he met Swami Atmasthanandaji Maharaj.
That connection continued into his political career. In 2020, Modi stayed overnight at Belur Math and described the visit as a “homecoming”, recalling the influence of Swami Atmasthananda on his thinking about service.
As a child, he wanted to join the Indian Army
According to Kamal Sandesh, Modi’s childhood ambition was to serve in the Indian Army. He wanted to study at a Sainik School near Jamnagar, but his family could not afford the fees.
The account says his interest in the armed forces remained strong. During the 1965 India-Pakistan war, he is described as serving tea to soldiers travelling through the local railway station. His childhood interest in the Army has also been documented by India Today.
School debates and the library were early interests
The Prime Minister’s official biography says Modi was industrious as a child and had an affinity for debates and reading. His schoolmates recalled him spending considerable time in the local library preparing for discussions.
Kamal Sandesh similarly describes him as a student with a penchant for debating and reading, while noting that he was also fond of swimming. His studies were balanced with work at the family tea stall as the family struggled financially.
He once skipped a family wedding to serve a saint
One of the more unusual childhood memories Modi shared with Lex Fridman concerned a wedding in his maternal uncle’s family.
Modi recalled that during Navratri, a saint near a Mahadev temple was undertaking a fast while growing jowar on his hand and remaining in meditation. While his family prepared to attend the wedding, Modi said he decided to stay behind because the saint could not eat or drink. “I will stay here and serve Swami Ji,” he recalled telling his family.
He said the incident reflected an early inclination towards spiritual experiences and service.
Bahrain became the first Gulf country he visited as PM
In August 2019, Modi became the first Indian prime minister to make a visit to Bahrain.
The Ministry of External Affairs described his August 24-25, 2019 state visit as the first-ever visit by an Indian prime minister to the country. During the trip, Modi met Bahrain’s leadership, addressed the Indian community and participated in the redevelopment plans for the 200-year-old Sri Krishna Temple.
He became PM without first serving as a Union minister
Modi’s route to the prime minister’s office was unusual in another respect: he did not previously hold a Union government ministerial post.
He entered government first as chief minister of Gujarat in 2001, after years spent primarily in organisational work. A 2021 government account noted that before becoming Gujarat chief minister, Modi had not held a government or administrative post and had not contested an election. He later became Prime Minister in 2014, moving directly from the chief ministership of Gujarat to the country’s top executive office.
Taken together, these episodes span several distinct phases of Modi’s life: childhood in Vadnagar, his years of travel and spiritual exploration, his organisational work with the RSS, his rise through the BJP and his eventual transition from Gujarat chief minister to Prime Minister. They also show that some of the experiences most frequently associated with his public persona — service, spirituality, organisational discipline, writing and interest in national affairs — appeared in his own accounts of his life well before he became India’s Prime Minister.
From writing poetry and considering a life with the Ramakrishna Mission to working long hours as an RSS pracharak, Modi has recounted a number of these experiences himself, while others have been documented by the Prime Minister’s Office and news reports.
Also read: Narendra Modi daily routine: What Prime Minister's habits reveal about his journey
Here are 10 lesser-known details from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s life and journey.
Narendra Modi is also a poet
Long before he became Prime Minister, Modi wrote poetry, primarily in Gujarati and Hindi. His creative writing has dealt with patriotism, spirituality, sacrifice, perseverance and service.
The New Indian Express reported that Modi wrote Kargil during the 1999 Kargil War, including lines comparing soldiers and farmers. His poems have also included Vijay Nu Parod, Utho Veer, Vande Mataram, Saugandh Mujhe Iss Mitti Ki, Abhi Toh Suraj Uga Hai, Ek Bharat Naya Banana Hai and Yahi Samay Hai, Sahi Samay Hai, Bharat Ka Anmol Samay Hai. Some of his poetry has subsequently featured in his public addresses, including Independence Day speeches.
His RSS routine began at 5 am and stretched late into the night
According to Modi’s official biography, he left home at 17 and spent about two years travelling across India before returning with a clearer sense of purpose. He subsequently moved to Ahmedabad and joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
The Prime Minister’s website says Modi became an RSS pracharak in 1972 and describes the routine as demanding: his day began at 5 am and continued until late at night. During the Emergency in the late 1970s, he also became involved in the movement to restore democracy.
He grew up in a small house with no windows
In his March 2025 conversation with podcaster Lex Fridman, Modi described his childhood as one of extreme poverty. He recalled living with his parents, siblings, uncles, aunts and grandparents in a small house without windows.
At the same time, Modi said his family did not feel the burden of poverty in the way it might be understood today because they had no basis for comparison. He also recalled his father as disciplined and hardworking and his mother as someone who cared for children in the neighbourhood using traditional remedies. The account was published by the Prime Minister’s Office following the podcast.
As a youngster, he deliberately tested himself against the cold
Modi has also described experimenting with physical endurance during his youth.
In the Lex Fridman podcast, he recalled being influenced by books about figures such as Swami Vivekananda and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He said this curiosity led him to test his own physical limits, including by deliberately sleeping outside in cold weather.
The episode formed part of a broader account by Modi of his early interest in spirituality, self-discipline and service.
Also read: 'Modinomics' basis of India's rapid economic growth, says Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
He once wanted to join the Ramakrishna Mission
Modi’s association with the Ramakrishna Mission dates back to his youth, when he was influenced by Swami Vivekananda’s teachings and sought to participate in the life of the organisation.
A 2013 Times of India report documented Modi’s visit to Belur Math as Gujarat chief minister and his long association with the mission. The report said that as a young man he had wanted to become a monk of the Ramakrishna Mission and had travelled to its centres, including Rajkot, where he met Swami Atmasthanandaji Maharaj.
That connection continued into his political career. In 2020, Modi stayed overnight at Belur Math and described the visit as a “homecoming”, recalling the influence of Swami Atmasthananda on his thinking about service.
As a child, he wanted to join the Indian Army
According to Kamal Sandesh, Modi’s childhood ambition was to serve in the Indian Army. He wanted to study at a Sainik School near Jamnagar, but his family could not afford the fees.
The account says his interest in the armed forces remained strong. During the 1965 India-Pakistan war, he is described as serving tea to soldiers travelling through the local railway station. His childhood interest in the Army has also been documented by India Today.
School debates and the library were early interests
The Prime Minister’s official biography says Modi was industrious as a child and had an affinity for debates and reading. His schoolmates recalled him spending considerable time in the local library preparing for discussions.
Kamal Sandesh similarly describes him as a student with a penchant for debating and reading, while noting that he was also fond of swimming. His studies were balanced with work at the family tea stall as the family struggled financially.
He once skipped a family wedding to serve a saint
One of the more unusual childhood memories Modi shared with Lex Fridman concerned a wedding in his maternal uncle’s family.
Modi recalled that during Navratri, a saint near a Mahadev temple was undertaking a fast while growing jowar on his hand and remaining in meditation. While his family prepared to attend the wedding, Modi said he decided to stay behind because the saint could not eat or drink. “I will stay here and serve Swami Ji,” he recalled telling his family.
He said the incident reflected an early inclination towards spiritual experiences and service.
Bahrain became the first Gulf country he visited as PM
In August 2019, Modi became the first Indian prime minister to make a visit to Bahrain.
The Ministry of External Affairs described his August 24-25, 2019 state visit as the first-ever visit by an Indian prime minister to the country. During the trip, Modi met Bahrain’s leadership, addressed the Indian community and participated in the redevelopment plans for the 200-year-old Sri Krishna Temple.
He became PM without first serving as a Union minister
Modi’s route to the prime minister’s office was unusual in another respect: he did not previously hold a Union government ministerial post.
He entered government first as chief minister of Gujarat in 2001, after years spent primarily in organisational work. A 2021 government account noted that before becoming Gujarat chief minister, Modi had not held a government or administrative post and had not contested an election. He later became Prime Minister in 2014, moving directly from the chief ministership of Gujarat to the country’s top executive office.
Taken together, these episodes span several distinct phases of Modi’s life: childhood in Vadnagar, his years of travel and spiritual exploration, his organisational work with the RSS, his rise through the BJP and his eventual transition from Gujarat chief minister to Prime Minister. They also show that some of the experiences most frequently associated with his public persona — service, spirituality, organisational discipline, writing and interest in national affairs — appeared in his own accounts of his life well before he became India’s Prime Minister.
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