New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called upon people to take pride in “swadeshi” (made in India) products as the festival season peaks in the coming weeks, stressing the mantra of “vocal for local” and the path of “aatmanirbhar Bharat” will lead to a developed India.
Everything that is needed in life should be “swadeshi”, he said in the ‘Mann ki Baat’ programme, repeatedly emphasising his point at a time when he has doubled down on the need for the country to become self-reliant amid a dip in the ties with the US after President Donald Trump imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods.
As different parts of the country celebrate Ganesh festival, and Durga Puja and Diwali approach, he said people should never forget about “swadeshi” products during the festivals, be it in purchasing gifts, clothes, decor items or anything else.
He stated, “Say with pride this is swadeshi, say with pride this is swadeshi, say with pride this is swadeshi. We have to move forward with this feeling. The only mantra is vocal for local, the only path is Aatmanirbhar Bharat, the only goal is developed India.”
In his monthly broadcast, Modi said love for the Ramayana and Indian culture is now reaching every corner of the world, while noting that a 51-feet-tall statue of the lord was unveiled at Mississauga in Canada earlier this month.
A unique exhibition was held in Vladivostok, a very cold region of Russia, this month, in which paintings made by Russian children on different themes of the Ramayana were showcased, he added. “It is indeed heartening to see the growing awareness of Indian culture in different parts of the world.”
In his interactive programme, the prime minister also noted with anguish the havoc natural disasters have wreaked during the rainy season. “This monsoon season, natural disasters are testing the country,” Modi said.
“At places, homes were destroyed; at others, fields were submerged; families were ruined in large numbers. Elsewhere, bridges were swept away by gushing water; roads were washed away; people’s lives were enmeshed in danger. These incidents have saddened every Indian,” he said.
The prime minister added that the national and state emergency forces have toiled day and night to help people. Modern technology and resources, such as thermal cameras, life detectors, sniffer dogs and drone surveillance have been deployed in rescue and relief works, he added.
Security forces, local population, social workers, doctors and the administration have made every possible effort in this hour of crisis, Modi said.
In the 125th episode of Mann Ki Baat, he highlighted two major achievements of Jammu and Kashmir amid the devastating natural calamity — the first day-night cricket match in Pulwama and the ‘Khelo India Water Sports Festival’ at Dal Lake in Srinagar.
“Not many people noticed these. But you will be happy to know about those achievements. A record number of people gathered in a stadium in Pulwama.
“Pulwama’s first day-night cricket match was played here. Earlier this was impossible, but now my country is changing,” he said. “The second event that caught attention was the country’s first ‘Khelo India Water Sports Festival’ and that too held at Dal Lake in Srinagar. Truly, what a special place to host a festival like this.”
Speaking to Mohsin Ali, who is from Jammu and Kashmir and won a gold medal, he said the youth of the region can bring glory to the country as they have so much potential.
Modi said the spirit of “ek Bharat, shrestha Bharat” and the country’s unity are very important for development, and sports play a big role in it.
He said a German coach, Dietmar Beiersdorfer, has offered to train football players of Shahdol after he had spoken about the growing craze for the sport in his podcast with Lex Fridman.
Beiersdorfer contacted the Indian embassy in Germany, expressing interest in coaching some players.
Modi said, “The life journey of young football players of Shahdol impressed and inspired him (German coach) a lot. Truly, no one had imagined that talented football players from there would attract the attention of other countries.
Now this German coach has offered to train some players of Shahdol in an academy in Germany,” he said, adding that some of the players will soon travel to Germany for training.
In the broadcast, Modi also played an audio bite of India’s first home minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, in connection with the operation to liberate Hyderabad from the Nizam rule.
“Next month, in September, we will celebrate Hyderabad Liberation Day. This is the same month when we will remember the courage of all those heroes who took part in Operation Polo,” the prime minister said.
He noted that the Nizam’s forces and Razakars, a private militia, killed people even for hoisting the tricolour or chanting “Vande Mataram” after India got Independence, prompting Patel to launch the operation.
