Page 10 - NIS English 01-15 February, 2025

Podcast

Bharat. Read about the viewpoints of PM Modi on
several issues… Here are the edited excerpts of the
podcast: ON THE THINKING OF
NATION FIRST…

ON HIS CHILDHOOD… The Prime Minister said that I had said
On being asked about his childhood by Nikhil Kamath, from the Red Fort that the country
PM Modi said that everyone knows that I was born needs one lakh such youth who come
in a small town Vadnagar in the Mehsana district of into politics and I believe that if the aim
North Gujarat. When we were young, the population is to take...get...become, then its life is
was probably only 15,000, I remember this roughly. not very long. The first training that an
My village was part of Gaekwad State. Gaekwad State entrepreneur has is to grow, here the
had a specialty. Every village was an advocator of first training is to devote oneself, to give
education. I studied in the primary school here. Chinese whatever one has. For them how my
thinker Hiuen Tsang also spent time in Vadnagar. PM company or my profession become
number one is their priority. For me it is
Modi said that Chinese President Xi Jinping told me Nation First, this is a huge difference and
about this. Narrating the story, PM Modi said that after the society also accepts only the person
becoming PM, President Xi Jinping called me and said with the thinking of Nation First.
that there is a big connection between the two of us. He
told me that he wanted to go to my village Vadnagar.
Because when Hiuen Tsang returned to China from
Vadnagar, he stayed in Xi Jinping's village.

ON HIS FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES...
Prime Minister Modi said that I left home at a very
young age. Leaving home means leaving everything. I
was not in touch with anyone, so there was a huge gap.
When I became CM, some desires arose in my mind. 30-35 people had gathered. At night we had dinner,
One desire that arose was that I would call all my old chatted, and refreshed old childhood memories. But, I
friends from class to the CM House. My motive behind did not enjoy it much because I was looking for a friend,
it was that I did not want anyone close to me to feel that while they were looking at me as the Chief Minister.
I had become a very important person. I am the same So that gap was not bridged and probably there is no
person who had left the village years ago. Probably one left in my life to call me 'tu'. I had a teacher, Ras

8 NEW INDIA SAMACHAR | February 1-15, 2025