In his monthly Mann ki Baat radio programme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday spoke of India’s G20 presidency, the space sector, the musical traditions in India, the lifestyle of the Naga community, and the treatment of muscular dystrophy.
Calling the G20 presidency “a huge opportunity for India”, the PM said the “country must utilise it by focusing on global good”.
“Friends, the G20 has a partnership comprising two-thirds of the world’s population, three-fourths of world trade, and 85% of world GDP. You can imagine – India is going to preside over such a big group, such a powerful group…What a great opportunity has come for India, for every Indian! This becomes even more special because India was awarded this responsibility during Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal,” he said.
India will officially assume the presidency of G20 – comprising Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union – from the current chair Indonesia on December 1.
The prime minister also spoke of Vikram-S, the first rocket to have been launched by a private company in India.
“On the 18th of November, the whole country witnessed new history being made in the space sector. On this day, India sent its first such rocket into space, which was designed and prepared by the private sector of India. The name of this rocket is – ‘Vikram-S’. As soon as this first rocket of the indigenous Space Start-up made a historic flight from Sriharikota, the heart of every Indian swelled with pride,” Modi told the audience.
Saying that the youth was “doing wonderful things in the field of tech”, the PM said, “They are thinking big and achieving big. Now they are not going to be satisfied with small achievements. In this exciting journey of innovation and value creation, they are also encouraging their other young colleagues and start-ups.”
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A Greek singer
Modi then went on to speak of Greek singer Konstantinos Kalaitzis who sang the song “Vaishnava Jana To” on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary and wrote books on Indian music.
“Such enthusiasm and fascination for Indian culture in other countries is really heartening,” he said. The Prime Minister also spoke of Indian-origin Fijian citizens who “sing traditional bhajan-kirtans, mainly couplets from the Ramcharitmanas” in “Mandalis” formed across the island nation.
Modi also spoke of the export of musical instruments. “In the last eight years, the export of musical instruments from India has increased three and a half times. Talking about electrical musical Instruments, their export has increased 60 times,” he said.
He added, “We all always take pride in the fact that our country is home to the oldest traditions in the world. Therefore, it is also our responsibility to preserve our traditions and traditional knowledge, to promote it and to take it forward as much as possible.”
Speaking about the lifestyle of the Naga community in Nagaland, Modi said “their art-culture and music attracts everyone” and was “an important part of the glorious heritage of our country”.
He spoke of an organisation called the “Lidi-Cro-U” that was formed by members of the community to “save Naga traditions and pass them on to the next generation”.He then urged people to make “such efforts in their respective areas”.
The PM spoke of muscular dystrophy, a “genetic disease that can occur at any age, in which the muscles of the body begin to weaken”.
He added that the condition makes it difficult for the “patient to do even his small tasks of daily life”, adding that a centre in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan called “Manav Mandir” run by the Indian Association of Muscular Dystrophy to treat the issue. “Along with Physiotherapy, Electrotherapy, and Hydrotherapy, diseases are also treated here with the help of Yoga-Pranayama,” he said.
