Team Blitz India
Excerpts from the English version of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann Ki Baat broadcast on June 30
THE day all of us had been waiting for since February has finally arrived. Today I have come amidst you, my family members, once again through ‘Mann Ki Baat’. There is a very lovely saying – ‘Iti Vida Punarmilanaaya’, its connotation too, is equally lovely, I take leave of you, to meet again. With this very feeling, I had told you in February that I would meet you again after the election results. And today, with ‘Mann Ki Baat’, I am again present amongst you.
Friends, today I also thank the countrymen for having reiterated their unwavering faith in our Constitution and the democratic systems of the country. The 2024 elections were the biggest elections in the world. An election as big as this, in which 65 crore people cast their votes, has never taken place in any other country in the world. For this, I congratulate the Election Commission and everyone involved in the voting process.
Tree-plantation
My dear friends, if I ask you what the most precious relationship in the world is, you will certainly say – ‘Maa’, mother. In the lives of all of us, the mother holds the highest stature. A mother nurtures her child even after undergoing all kinds of hardships.
Every mother showers limitless affection upon her child. This love of the mother who has given birth is like a debt on all of us, which no one can repay. I was thinking… we can’t give anything to our mother, but, can we do something else? Through this thought, a special campaign has been launched on World Environment Day this year. The name of this campaign is – ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’. I have also planted a tree in the name of my mother. I have appealed to all the countrymen; people of all the countries of the world to plant a tree along with their mothers, or in their name.
And I am immensely happy to see that the campaign to plant trees in memory of the mother or in her honor is progressing rapidly. On social media, people are sharing pictures of planting trees with their mothers or with their photographs. Everyone is planting trees for one’s mother – whether one is rich or poor, whether one is a working woman or a homemaker. This campaign has provided all of us with an equal opportunity to express affection towards mothers.
India at Paris Olympics
My dear countrymen, by this time next month, the Paris Olympics would have begun. I am sure that all of you would also be waiting to cheer for the Indian sportspersons in these Olympic Games. I wish the Indian team the very best for the Olympic Games. The memories of the Tokyo Olympics are still fresh in our minds. The performance of our players in Tokyo had won the heart of every Indian. Right after the Tokyo Olympics, our athletes were whole-heartedly engaged in the preparations for the Paris Olympics. If we take all the players together, then all of them have participated in nearly nine hundred international competitions. This is a very big number.
Indian culture, heritage
Friends, which Indian will not be happy with the way our culture is earning glory all over the world today! For example, in Turkmenistan, the 300th birth anniversary of its national poet was celebrated in May this year. On this occasion, the President of Turkmenistan unveiled the statues of 24 famous poets of the world. One of these statues is also that of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore.
This is an honour for Gurudev; an honour for India. Similarly, in the month of June, two Caribbean countries Suriname and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines celebrated their Indian heritage with full zeal and enthusiasm. The Indian community in Suriname celebrates 5 June every year as Indian Arrival Day and Pravasi Din. Bhojpuri is also widely spoken here, along with Hindi. The number of our brothers and sisters of Indian origin living in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is also around six thousand. All of them are very proud of their heritage.
Indian products abroad
Friends, there are so many products of India which are in great demand all over the world and when we see a local product of India going global, it is natural to feel proud. One such product is Araku coffee. Araku coffee is produced in large quantities in Alluri Sita Rama Raju district of Andhra Pradesh. It is known for its rich flavour and aroma. Around 1.5 lakh tribal families are associated with the cultivation of Araku coffee.
Girijan cooperative has played a very important role in taking Araku coffee to new heights. It brought together the farmer brothers and sisters here and encouraged them to cultivate Araku coffee.
This has also enhanced the income of these farmers a lot. The Konda Dora tribal community has also benefited a lot from this. Along with income, they are also getting a life of dignity. I remember once I got a chance to taste this coffee in Visakhapatnam with the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Chandrababu Naidu Garu. And it’s taste…! This coffee is amazing!
AIR Sanskrit Bulletin
Adya Aham Kinchhit Charcha Sanskrit Bhashayaam Aarabhe. You must be thinking why I am suddenly speaking in Sanskrit in ‘Mann Ki Baat’? The reason for this is a special occasion related to Sanskrit today! Today, on the 30th of June, the Sanskrit Bulletin of Akashvani is completing 50 years of its broadcast. For 50 years, this bulletin has kept so many people connected to Sanskrit. I congratulate the All India Radio family.
