Nari Shakti
Recently, I met those brave daughters who had gone to Turkiye in the rescue mission after the disastrous earthquake there. They were a part of the NDRF unit. Their courage and efficiency is being talked about in the whole world… Group Captain Shalija Dhami became the first woman Air Force officer to receive Command Appointment in the Combat Unit. She has a flying experience of close to three thousand hours. Similarly, Captain Shiva Chauhan became the first woman officer to get posted at Siachen. In a region where the temperature falls to minus sixty degrees, Shiva will be posted for three months. India has also appointed a ‘Woman only’ platoon in the UN Mission…You all would have definitely seen Surekha Yadav, who became Asia’s first loco pilot… In the same month itself, producer Guneet Monga, and director Kartiki Gonsalves made the whole nation proud, by winning Oscar for their documentary “Elephant Whisperers”.
March 2023
Toys
Nowadays, Indian toys have become such a craze that their demand has increased even in foreign countries. February 2023
India: The Mother of Democracy
Friends, today when we are discussing our Republic Day during the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, I will also mention an interesting book here. A very interesting subject has been discussed in this book which I received a few weeks ago. The name of this book is India-The Mother of Democracy and it has many excellent essays. India is the largest democracy in the world and we Indians are also proud of the fact that our country is also the Mother of Democracy. Democracy is in our veins, it is in our culture—it has been an integral part of our work for centuries. By nature, we are a Democratic Society.
January 2023
Yoga, Ayurveda
I am happy that in the era of Evidence-based medicine, Yoga and Ayurveda are now standing up to the touchstone of tests of the modern era. All of you must have heard about the Tata Memorial center in Mumbai. This institute has earned a name for itself in Research, Innovation and Cancer care. An intensive research done by this center has revealed that yoga is very effective for breast cancer patients. Tata Memorial Center has presented the results of its research in the very prestigious Breast cancer conference held in America. These results have attracted the attention of the world’s biggest experts.
December 2022
India’s G-20 Presidency
Friends, the Presidency of G-20 has arrived as a big opportunity for us. We have to make full use of this opportunity and focus on Global Good, world welfare. Whether it is peace or unity, sensitivity towards the environment, or sustainable development, India has solutions to challenges related to these. The theme that we have given “One Earth, One Family, One Future” shows our commitment to Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.
November 2022
Amrit kaal
2022 has been very inspiring, wonderful in many ways. This year India completed 75 years of her Independence and this very year Amrit Kaal commenced….The commissioning of India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier is a momentous occasion during the ‘Amrit Kal’ of India’s 75 years of Independence and signifies the country’s confidence and prowess.
December 2022
Emergency, June 1975
Did you know that when your parents were your age, once even their right to life was snatched away from them? You must be thinking how could have this happened? This is just impossible! But my young friends, this had happened once in our country. This took place years ago in 1975. It was the month of June when emergency was imposed. In that, all the rights were taken away from the citizens of the country. One amongst those rights was the ‘Right to Life and Personal Liberty’ provided to all Indians under Article 21 of the Constitution. At that time an attempt was made to crush the democracy of India. The country’s courts, every constitutional institution, the press, were put under control. The condition of censorship was such that nothing could be printed without approval…But even after many attempts, thousands of arrests, and atrocities on lakhs of people, the faith of the people of India in democracy did not shake… not at all! For us, the people of India, the sanskars of democracy which we have been carrying on for centuries; the democratic spirit which is in our veins, finally won.
June 2022
Idols Stolen & Taken Out of India
In the past, many idols were stolen and kept being taken out of India. Sometimes in this country, at times in another, these idols were sold… and for them they were just pieces of art. Neither did they have anything to do with their history, nor with reverence attached to them. It is our responsibility towards Mother India to bring home these idols. These idols embody a part of the soul of India; faith as well. They also have a cultural-historical significance. Realising this responsibility, India increased her efforts. And resultantly, it fostered a deterrent fear against the tendency to steal. The countries where these idols were stolen and taken away to, also started to feel now that it could also have immense significance in the diplomatic channel of soft power in relations with India. India’s feelings are associated with it; India’s reverence is attached as well, and, in a way, it creates a lot of strength in people-to-people relations as well.
February 2022
Kargil Vijay Diwas
The Kargil war is one symbol of the bravery and patience on part of India’s Armed Forces which the whole world has watched… I wish you read the enthralling saga of Kargil…let us all bow to the bravehearts of Kargil.
July 2021
Army Jawans and China Border
Like every year, this Diwali too, I had gone to the border, to the China border, to celebrate the occasion with our soldiers, our jawans. I celebrated Diwali with ITBP men and army jawans on the lofty heights of the Himalayas. I do it every time, but this Diwali was an entirely different experience. The heartening effect of the novel way in which our 1.25 billion countrymen dedicated this Diwali to soldiers of our army, to our defence forces, was clearly evident on their faces.
November 2016
India’s Languages
Our India is so rich in terms of languages that it just cannot be compared. The biggest beauty of our languages is that from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, from Kutch to Kohima, hundreds of languages, thousands of dialects which are different from each other but are mutually integrated…many languages – one expression. For centuries, our languages have been evolving whilst learning from each other and have been refining themselves, developing each other. The world’s oldest language Tamil is in India and every Indian should be proud that we have such a significant heritage of the world.
February 2022
Defending India’s Borders
The resolve with which our jawans made the supreme sacrifice for the security of Mother India, should be the aim of our lives….and this applies to each and every one of us. Our pursuits and endeavours should be in the same direction…we should strive towards enhancing the country’s capabilities and capacities in safeguarding our borders. A self-reliant India would be a tribute to our martyrs in the truest, deepest sense.
June 2020
Animals, birds, flora
Animals, birds, flora–nature in its entirety, is filled with the joys of the season. But sometimes, when the rain unleashes full force of its fury, we come to realise the extent of the destructive might of water. Mother Nature gives us life and nurtures us, but at times natural catastrophes such as floods and earthquakes wreak havoc on a massive scale. Climate change, altered weather cycles, and transformations in the environment, are also having a big negative impact.
July 2017
Fight against Covid
Today, I am expressing Mann ki Baat at a time when Corona is testing our patience; it is testing the limits of all of us at enduring misery. Many of our near and dear ones have left us untimely. After successfully confronting the first wave of Corona, the country was full of enthusiasm, full of self-confidence, but this storm has shaken the country. Friends, in the days gone by, to tide over this crisis, I had long deliberations with experts from myriad sectors. People from our Pharma industry, vaccine manufacturers, those connected with oxygen production, experts from the medical field have put forth their valuable suggestions to the government. This time, for emerging victorious in this battle, we have to accord priority to expert and scientific advice.
April 2021
Online payments
I feel delighted to learn that the awareness about how to use technology, making e-payments, making online payments is spreading very fast. During the past few days, the cashless transactions, or cashless trading has increased by 200 to 300%. To give cashless trading a big impetus, Government of India has taken a very major decision. The business community, our traders can well comprehend how momentous this decision is. Those businessmen who adopt digital transactions, who develop online payment process instead of cash transactions in their trade activities will get Income Tax rebate.
December 2016
Era of competition
You get so submerged in the preparation for the examinations, get so consumed to obtain the best grades, there are coaching classes going on even in vacations and you’re worrying about the next exam! Sometimes you feel scared that our youth have become robot like, living life like a machine.
April 2017
Coping with Drought, Water Crisis
It is quite natural for the nation to feel concerned about the unrelenting heat. On top of it, due to continuous drought over the past couple of years, the usual water storage facilities have been adversely affected. Sometimes due to encroachment, sometimes due to silting, the inflow of water into reservoirs and other water bodies gets blocked. As a result, the reservoirs store much less water than their capacity. Worse, because of this cycle that has been going on for years, the capacity itself of these reservoirs is gradually reduced. To cope with the drought and to provide relief from the water crisis, governments are making efforts. But that’s not all.
April 2016
Organ Donation
The country needs more than 2.5 lakh kidneys, hearts and livers for donation per year. However in a country with 125 crore people, only 5000 transplants could take place. Each year about one lakh eyes are in need of a vision. And we are able to reach up to only 25,000 people who need it. It implies that we are able to provide eye transplant services to only one out of the four needy persons. We should also know that if someone is killed in a road accident, then also the organs can be donated.
October 2015
Triple Talaq & Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao
Take the success of ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’… today the sex ratio in the country has improved. The number of girls going to school has also improved. In this we also have a responsibility that our daughters do not drop out of school. Similarly, women in the country have got freedom from open defecation under the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’. A social evil like Triple Talaq is also coming to an end. Ever since the law against Triple Talaq has come into being, there has been a reduction of 80 percent in Triple Talaq cases in the country.
February 2022
Medium of radio
Through the medium of radio, I would like to share few heartfelt thoughts with you today. And, I hope that not only today, this series of conversation may be carried out regularly in future. I will try my best, if possible, to take out time twice a month or even once to speak with you. In future, I have also decided that whenever I will speak to you, it would be on Sunday morning at 11am. It would be convenient for you too and I will be content to have shared my thoughts with you.
October 2014
US President Barack Obama on MKB
Namaste! Thank you Prime Minister Modi for the incredible hospitality you have shown me and my wife Michelle on this visit and let me say to the people of India how honoured I am to be the first American President to join you for Republic Day; and I’m told that this is also the first ever radio address by an Indian Prime Minister and an American President together, so we’re making a lot of history in a short time. Now to the people of India listening all across this great nation. It’s wonderful to be able to speak you directly. We just come from discussions in which we affirmed that India and the United States are natural partners, because we have so much in common. We are two great democracies, two innovative economies, two diverse societies dedicated to empowering individuals. We are linked together by millions of proud Indian Americans who still have family and carry on traditions from India. And I want to say to the Prime Minister how much I appreciate your strong personal commitment to strengthening the relationship between these two countries. People are very excited in the United States about the energy that Prime Minister Modi is bringing to efforts in this country to reduce extreme poverty and lift people up, to empower women, to provide access to electricity, and clean energy and invest in infrastructure, and the education system. And on all these issues, we want to be partners.
Barack Obama, January 2015