On Mann Ki Baat, PM Modi shares his ‘regret of sorts’ | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

On Mann Ki Baat, PM Modi shares his ‘regret of sorts’

By | Written by Meenakshi Ray, New Delhi
Feb 28, 2021 12:50 PM IST

On his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, PM Modi said he regrets that he could not learn the world's oldest language Tamil.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday he should have learned the world’s oldest language of Tamil, which he said is popular all over the globe, as he talked about “one of my shortcomings”. “In the run-up to #MannKiBaat, I was asked if there was something I missed out on during these long years as CM and PM. I feel - it is a regret of sorts that I could not learn the world's oldest language Tamil. Tamil literature is beautiful,” PM Modi said on his monthly radio programme.

The Prime Minister also shared two video clips of a guided tour of the Statue of Unity in Gujarat’s Kevadia and another of a commentary at a cricket match in Varanasi in Sanskrit.
The Prime Minister also shared two video clips of a guided tour of the Statue of Unity in Gujarat’s Kevadia and another of a commentary at a cricket match in Varanasi in Sanskrit.

The Prime Minister said sometimes even a very small and simple question shakes the mind. “These questions are not long and are very simple, yet they make us think,” he said, adding that a listener Aparna Reddy of Hyderabad posed one such question to him a few days ago. “She said that - You have been the PM and CM for so many years. Do you ever feel that something is missing? Aparna ji's question is very simple but equally difficult,” he said.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Also read | Be warriors not worriers: PM Modi tells students set to appear in exams

The Prime Minister said he pondered over Reddy’s question and told himself that one of “my shortcomings was that I could not make a lot of effort to learn Tamil.” “I could not learn Tamil. It is such a beautiful language, which is popular all over the world. Many people have told me a lot about the quality of Tamil literature and the depth of poems written in it,” he said.

"India is the land of many such languages that are symbols of its culture and pride," he added. 

Also read | 'If you dare...': Rahul's latest challenge to PM Modi ahead of Mann Ki Baat

The Prime Minister also shared two video clips of a guided tour of the Statue of Unity in Gujarat’s Kevadia and another of a commentary at a cricket match in Varanasi in Sanskrit. He added that there are more than 15 guides in Kevadiya, who guide people in fluent Sanskrit about the monument.

PM Modi said that in Varanasi, a cricket tournament is held among Shastharth College, Swami Vedanti Ved Vidyapeeth, Sri Brahma Veda Vidyalaya and International Chandramouli Charitable Trust. "The commentary is also done in Sanskrit during the matches of this tournament," the Prime Minister said. “I just played for you a very small part of that commentary. Not only this, in this tournament, players and commentators are seen in the traditional attire,” he added.

During the 74th episode of Mann Ki Baat, the Prime Minister also called for the conservation of water ahead of the summer months and talked about the Jal Shakti’ ministry’s upcoming initiative to save water. “In most parts of India, rain starts in May-June. Can we start a 100-day campaign from now on to harvest rainwater, to clean the waters around us? With this thinking, a few days from now, the Jal Shakti Abhiyan - 'Catch the Rain' is also being started by the Jal Shakti ministry. The basic mantra of this campaign is - Catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls,” he said.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Mukhtar Ansari Death News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On