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Journalism of Courage
Nostalgia, emotions and direct conversations with some whose lives were impacted after being mentioned on previous episodes of Mann Ki Baat — the 100th episode of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s monthly radio programme had it all. “I have received thousands of letters from all of you, lakhs of messages…and I have tried to read as many letters as possible, have a look at them and try to understand the messages a bit,” said PM Modi at the beginning of his radio show Sunday.
“Many a time, while reading your letters, I got carried away in emotions and then also composed myself. You have congratulated me on the 100th episode of Mann Ki Baat, but in fact, all of you, the listeners of Mann Ki Baat, our countrymen, deserve congratulations. ‘Mann Ki Baat’ is the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ of crores of Indians, it is the expression of their feelings,” he added.
The 30-minute episode had a fine balance of looking back and looking forward, with the Prime Minister interviewing some change-makers, whom he mentioned in the earlier episodes, from across the country. Calling Mann Ki Baat “a unique festival of goodness and positivity that comes every month,” Modi said the people mentioned were all our heroes who made the programme come alive.
Sunil Jaglan of Haryana, who started the ‘Selfie with Daughter’ campaign in Haryana, a state with a skewed sex ratio, was the first one to join the PM on the show over a call. “In fact, ‘the fourth battle of Panipat’ that you started from our state to bring smiles on the faces of the daughters, which the whole country has tried to win under your leadership, is really important for me, for every daughter’s father and those who love daughters,” Jaglan said.
Soon after being mentioned on the show, ‘Selfie with Daughter’ turned into a global campaign and the result of many such efforts is that today the gender ratio in Haryana has improved, Modi said. The Prime Minister also spoke of others who have been working on themes close to his heart — be it environment, water conservation, education, health or women empowerment.
Manzoor Ahmad, while talking about the pencil slates of Jammu and Kashmir – that became popular after being mentioned on the show – said, “The work has increased a lot since then, and I have been able to also employ more than 200 people.” Ahmad said he is looking to expand it further and offer employment to another 200 people.
Vijayashanti Devi from Manipur, who makes clothes from lotus fibre, said she now has a team of 30 and this year will expand it with 100 women and is also looking to export the eco-friendly fibre to the US. PM Modi lauded Vocal for Local, now going on to become Local for Global. Pradeep Sangwan who runs a cleanliness campaign called ‘Healing Himalayas’, also spoke about his work.
Touching an emotional chord, the PM said that the programme has never let him be away from people of the country, especially after coming to Delhi. “When I was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, it was natural to meet and interact with the common people there… But after coming to Delhi in 2014, I found that life here was very different…In the initial days, there was an emptiness. I did not leave my home just to find one day it would be difficult to contact the people of my own country. The very countrymen who are my everything… I could not live separated from them,” he remarked.
“Mann Ki Baat gave me a solution to this challenge, a way to connect with the common man,” he said, adding that he reads thousands of messages from the people of the country, and just does not feel that he is even a little far from them. “Mann Ki Baat has become a spiritual journey of my being,” he said.
PM Modi also celebrated the show’s global connect. While he mentioned in the first few minutes how US President Barack Obama had participated in one of the episodes way back in 2015, the 100th episode featured UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay, who asked how — with the largest population in the world — India plans to achieve the objective of education for all by 2030. She also sought to know from the PM how the country plans to put culture and education at the top of the international agenda.
Modi said that education and cultural preservation have been the favourite topics of ‘Mann Ki Baat’. “The work that the country is doing in this direction today is really commendable. Be it the National Education Policy or the option of studying in a regional language, or technology integration in education, you will notice many such efforts,” he said.
In ‘Mann Ki Baat’, we have highlighted the efforts of many such people who are selflessly working for education, he said, adding that we have also accorded regular place to the efforts of Cultural Preservation in ‘Mann Ki Baat’. “I have an unwavering belief that the biggest change can be brought about by collective effort. This year, where we are moving forward in the Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal, we are also presiding over the G20. This is also one of the reasons why our resolve to enrich diverse global cultures along with education has become stronger,” he responded.
He concluded the episode with a mantra from the Upanishads — Charaiveti Charaiveti Charaiveti (keep moving, keep moving, keep moving). He also thanked the personnel of All India Radio who recorded the entire programme “with great patience”.
