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New Delhi : Addressing the 5oth episode of his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme, PM Narendra Modi on November 25, 2018, said it is not about the Government, it is about the society. Mann Ki Baat addresses an aspirational India, an ambitious India, PM Modi said. ” When ‘Mann Ki Baat’ commenced, I had firmly decided that it would carry nothing political, or any praise for the Government, nor Modi for that matter anywhere,” the PM said.
“Politics or political power are not intrinsic to the Indian ethos; on the contrary social values and society are. In fact, politics is one of the numerous other aspects of social life. Making politics an all pervasive, powerful factor is not an effective way for a healthy society. At times, political developments and political people assume such overriding prominence that other talents and courageous deeds get overshadowed. For ensuring a bright future for a country such as India, it is our collective responsibility to acknowledge and honour the common man’s talent and deeds and Mann Ki Baat is a humble and modest effort in this direction,” PM Modi said.
“On October 3, 2014, the pious occasion of Vijayadashmi, we embarked upon a journey together through the medium of ‘Mann Ki Baat’. This journey has reached its 50th episode today. Thus, this Golden Jubilee Episode is indeed gilt-edged in every sense of the term. Your letters and phone calls this time pertain mostly to these 50 episodes,” he said.
Answering to queries as to why did he choose radio as a medium to connect with his countrymen, the PM said that in May 1998 when he was in Himachal Pradesh he realised that this was a medium that was truly connected with the masses.
“Your curiosity is but natural; in this age when Radio was fading into oblivion, why did Modi opt for the airwaves? Let me quote an incident. The year was 1998. I was then a party worker with the Bharatiya Janata Party organisation in Himachal. It was the month of May; and I was travelling to a certain place. Evenings tend to get cold in the hilly terrain of Himachal Pradesh, and I stopped by at a wayside tea stall and placed an order for tea. It was a tiny joint; there was only one person who would make & serve tea.It was a standalone kiosk on the edge of the road. He first picked up a Laddoo from a glass container, offered the sweetmeat to me and said, “Sir, eat this before the tea get ready”. I was taken aback and asked him “What is the matter? Is it in celebration of an occasion like a wedding?” He replied, “No brother, nothing like that! Don’t you know? It’s a momentous, joyous occasion”. On seeing his rather jubilant exuberance, I asked him, “But what exactly happened?” And he replied, “India has exploded the bomb today!” I exclaimed, “India has exploded the bomb! I don’t get it!” Said he, “Sir, just listen to the radio”. Indeed, that exactly was the topic of discussion on the radio. It was then that he elaborated on how on the day of the nuclear test, the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had announced to the media and how he broke into a dance on listening to it on the radio. It was matter of great intrigue to me to see a lone tea seller in a remote, snow – clad hilly place, who possibly kept listening to the radio the entire day… watching that particular effect of the news on radio led me to realise and internalise that this was a medium that was truly connected with the masses, ” the PM said, according to a PIB release.
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