Before the historic 100th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat,' which was aired on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited people to join him live, saying that the journey of his radio monthly programme in which he addresses the common people had been “truly special.” The PM stated that the “collective spirit” of the people of the country was celebrated during the journey.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in the 100th episode of Mann ki Baat on Sunday that the broadcast filled the “emptiness” he felt after moving to Delhi in 2014, and that it is an expression of the feelings of crores of Indians, ensuring he is never cut off from people.
The historic broadcast provided Modi with an opportunity to reflect, as he stated that it was more than just a programme for him, but a matter of faith and spiritual journey.
“Mann ki Baat has become a festival that celebrates the positivity of India and its people,” he said, adding that the thousands of letters he received from listeners on the occasion of the show's 100th episode filled him with emotion.
The prime minister stated that the programme is a reflection of crores of Indians' mann ki baat and an expression of their feelings.
He stated that issues raised in Mann Ki Baat became people's movements, such as Swachh Bharat, Khadi, and Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
Modi stated that the monthly radio broadcast, which largely avoids politics, has become an important medium for learning from others.
“This programme has ensured that I will never be disconnected from you,” he said. During the 100th episode, Modi also spoke on the phone with some of the people who had been featured earlier in the broadcast for their innovative initiatives.
Noting that the programme began on October 3, 2014, on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami, he stated that it has also become a one-of-a-kind festival of goodness and positivity among the people.
Recalling that his mentor, Laxmanrao Inamdar, one of the early Rashtriya Swayasevak Sangh functionaries in Gujarat, always advised “worshipping” the good qualities of others, including rivals, Modi said ‘Mann Ki Baat' has been an exercise for him to worship and learn from others' qualities.
Modi stated that the programme has never kept him away from people and that it was natural for him to meet and interact with the common people as the Gujarat chief minister.
“However, after moving to Delhi in 2014, I discovered that life was very different here.” The nature of the work is different, the responsibility is different, and one is constrained by circumstances, security rigours, and time constraints. “Something felt different in the beginning, there was an emptiness,” he said.
Modi stated that he did not leave home fifty years ago expecting to find it difficult to connect with the people of his own country one day.
“My countrymen are everything to me.” I couldn't survive without them. “‘Mann Ki Baat' provided me with a solution to this problem, a way to connect with the common man,” he explained.
“Mann Ki Baat is not a programme for me; it is a matter of faith, worship, or vrat.” When people go to worship God, they bring Prasad with them. Mann Ki Baat, for me, is like prasad at God's feet in the form of the masses, the people,” he added.
Noting that he had connected with people involved in inspiring journeys such as planting trees, cleanliness, and educating the poor for decades, he said that the countrymen's efforts had inspired him to keep striving.
“The people whom we mention in ‘Mann Ki Baat' are all our heroes who have made this programme come alive,” Modi said, addressing some of them.
They stated that after the prime minister mentioned them, their work received a significant boost.
During the broadcast, a special message from the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation, Audrey Azoulay, expressing gratitude for the programme was also played.
She also inquired about India's efforts in education and cultural preservation, two issues that Modi has frequently raised during the programme.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, including Union ministers, listened to Modi's speech at various locations as the ruling party went all out to make the 100th episode a mega exercise in public connect.
The Bharatiya Janata Party had previously stated that nearly four lakh listening stations for the prime minister's broadcast would be set up.
