‘Is this a joke?’: Being named Narendra Modi isn’t easy for these MP men

For these namesakes, carrying the name Narendra Modi comes at a cost, as they have some explaining to do every time they introduce themselves socially.

BHOPAL/INDORE: Imagine sharing your name with the country’s most powerful leader — the prime minister. One would assume that answering to the name ‘Narendra Modi’ would be met with a reaction bordering on reverence and bemusement.However, for five men in Madhya Pradesh who introduced themselves as Narendra Modi, the responses ranged from a hearty laugh to being asked to prove that the name printed on the identity card was actually the one entered in the official record. For another namesake, the response from a bank manager on the other side of the wire, after he stated his name, was a guarded and polite enquiry if it was, indeed, him. He would have a huge sigh of relief when told it wasn’t the PM but a retired school principal from Burhanpur.For these namesakes, carrying the name Narendra Modi comes at a cost, as they have some explaining to do every time they introduce themselves socially or to an official at the other end of the table.A deep dive into the official birth records in Madhya Pradesh threw five Modi namesakes. However, TOI could only speak to four of them, as the other one couldn’t be contacted.For 67-year-old Narendra Modi of Burhanpur, the first amusing experience over his name came on a visit to Delhi for an election training programme. As the retired govt school principal and state-level master trainer introduced himself, the clerk seated behind a desk looked up with a frown, asking, “Is this a joke?”Modi clearly wasn’t. However, the clerk remained unconvinced even after he produced his identity card.

It was only after some explaining that the clerk relented saying, “Sorry, sorry”.That experience taught him a lesson he never forgot — to keep his ID card handy as it was the surest way to settle the debate.He recalled another amusing experience from 2015, when PM Modi was making surprise calls to banks to review the progress of the ‘Jan Dhan’ accounts. As a school principal, Burhanpur’s Modi often had to call bank managers about scholarships and ‘Jan Dhan’ accounts.“I called up a bank manager for some scholarship-related work. He was shocked to learn my name. I could almost sense the hesitation in his voice. I had to raise my voice to make him understand that it was not the PM,” he recalled.He also recalled ringing up the local MP enquiring if he had a moment, saying he could call back at a more convenient time. To this, the MP said in a lighter vein, “For me, it’s a privilege when the name Narendra Modi flashes on my mobile.

People sitting around me think it is a call from the PM.”He recalled another hilarious experience during a visit to Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura along with his family. Stopped amid a heavy rush of visitors, he jokingly told the guards they didn’t know who they had stopped. “I told them I am Narendra Modi,” he recalled, adding that the guards reacted with disbelief before cracking up when he flashed his identity card.For 48-year-old Narendra Modi of Morena, who runs a dairy business, carrying the namesake has its own share of stories. However, TOI could not connect with him to know more about his personal experiences.A third Narendra Modi works at an office pantry in Dewas, serving tea.“People are amused when I say my name is Narendra Modi. They pause momentarily, smile before eyeing me with amazement. My name strikes an instant conversation as my customers laugh and crack jokes about it.

However, it also makes sure they remember me,” he said.In Pithampur, another Narendra Modi has been running a tea stall for years. Originally from Rajasthan, he has been living here for about a decade and a half, running a shop named ‘Modi Tea Stall’. The stall name often raises a curious question: Did he name it after the PM? He replies with a police ‘no’, saying the name got stuck with him at birth.Often his customers burst out laughing after they make a payment through UPI and PM Modi’s face flashes on their phones. They say, “Unko dekho, chai bechte-bechte PM ban gaye. Ho sakta hai kabhi tum bhi ban jao (Look how he went from selling tea to becoming the PM.

Maybe, your luck will turn, too, someday).”For another Modi, a 50-year-old from Balgarh, Dewas, the namesake saw him working for an automobile company after running a tea stall for 17 years.“Chaiwala bolte the mujhe (My customers would call me a tea-seller),” he recalled. The joke made its way to his daughter’s school, as, during a parent-teacher meeting, the principal jokingly told the staff, “This is Narendra Modi’s daughter, make sure she gets a proper seat.”