– Anurag Singh Thakur
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is universally recognized as an orator of exceptional talent. His style of instant communication with the public is unique. The passion with which he speaks and the integrity with which he is known has been further strengthened by the faith-based dialogue ‘Mann Ki Baat’ over the last eight years. His inclusive approach has found unprecedented acceptance in all parts of the country. It is the people-centric model of development of Prime Minister Modi, which has endeared him to the common people. The ‘Mann Ki Baat’ program was launched in October 2014. Over the years it has been fixed for the last Sunday of the month. It started as a radio talk show; But now it is simultaneously broadcast in multiple languages ​​on different platforms.
In ‘Mann Ki Baat’ two faces of his two personalities emerge. A strong, powerful and purposeful Prime Minister. Another gentle, kind and pious fatherly guardian. If you listen to ‘Mann Ki Baat’ with your eyes closed, you will think that Modi ji is sitting on the village chaupal. talking to people. listening to their words. Communicating with them. Offering wise advice where needed or praising someone for exemplary work.
Recently he shared his interaction with the families of accident victims who bravely made the decision to donate the organs of their loved ones. Modi ji used that conversation to promote the noble idea of ​​organ donation. Many such examples can be given, ranging from dealing with adverse climate conditions to congratulating ordinary people for their good deeds related to health and hygiene and so on. PM Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ is essentially about real life stories and experiences. Stories that reflect the real India and go beyond the narrow confines of Lutyens’ Delhi. This is the reason why every episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ is highly popular and gets lakhs of responses. It resonates with people because it is about their concerns.
The first episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ was aired on 3 October 2014. It will complete 100 episodes on April 30, 2023. ‘Mann Ki Baat’ is unique in terms of its content, design, dialogue and innovative way of communicating with the common people and the society as a whole. Through ‘All India Radio’, the world’s largest radio network with 262 radio stations and over 375 private and community radio stations, the Indian Prime Minister reaches out to a vast socio-economically and culturally diverse population. He inspires and activates people not only on social, cultural and economic issues but also on challenging problems like climate change, waste management, energy crisis.
Indian public broadcaster Prasar Bharati translates and broadcasts ‘Mann Ki Baat’ in 52 languages ​​and dialects. These include 11 foreign languages. Its objective is to ensure that ‘Mann Ki Baat’ reaches from the most remote areas of the country to Indians living abroad. ‘Mann Ki Baat’ is India’s first Virtually Enriched Radio Program, broadcast simultaneously by TV channels. 34 channels of Doordarshan network and more than 100 private satellite TV channels telecast this innovative program across the country. A smartly designed booklet with articles from experts and leading persons from different walks of life is also being published every month from February 2022, reaching out to more than 60 million people digitally.
With such a wide impact, ‘Mann Ki Baat’ is being seen as a social revolution (and rightly so). This program gets a solid foundation through public participation. The program has been conceptualized and implemented based on the idea of ​​engagement and participation with citizens. This is reflected from the name of the program to the choice of subjects and the call to action by the people that the Prime Minister engages in the programme. Each episode is built on the Prime Minister’s unwavering belief in the transformative power of individuals and the pivotal role they play in encouraging public participation in governance. Through ‘Mann Ki Baat’, the Prime Minister has been successful in reaching out to millions of people across the country. They use this platform to share their vision for the country and seek active participation of citizens in the nation building process.
The primary objective of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ is to create a direct connection between the Prime Minister of India and the citizens of the country. Every month the Prime Minister receives lakhs of letters from across the country, on which he throws light during the programme. It is also not unusual for the Prime Minister to talk to people on the telephone during the programme. Such a mode of communication between the elected leader and the public greatly strengthens people’s faith in democracy and governance.
In order to make eight years of 99 episodes of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ a success, efforts have been made not only to create awareness among the public about important issues, but also to motivate them to take action in the social and national interest Has gone. One of the highlights of the program is inspirational stories of change makers. Such stories inspire millions of others as well.
Since its inception, ‘Mann Ki Baat’ has emerged as an effective tool of mass mobilization catalysing social movements involving communities across the country. The social message given by the Prime Minister in the program becomes a social media trend within a few hours and a mass movement within a few weeks. ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’, ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’, ‘Covid vaccination’ and ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ are some of the shining examples. Recently in the 88th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ the Prime Minister highlighted the importance of water conservation and urged the citizens to build Amrit Sarovar in their locality. Within a few months, this message of the Prime Minister turned into a mass movement and many Amrit Sarovars were built across the country.
In its 92nd episode, the Prime Minister appreciated the prompt efforts of the citizens. He discussed about various Amrit Sarovars like Bhagat Singh Amrit Sarovar at Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh and Amrit Sarovar at Bilkerur in Karnataka. Taking forward the vision of building a ‘Shashakt Bharat’, this program of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ focuses on highlighting the national and global successes of the country, which instill a sense of pride, belonging and nationalism among the citizens. This feeling motivates to participate in the development of the country. In the 89th episode of the programme, the Prime Minister highlighted the number of unicorns in India reaching the 100 mark. In its 91st episode, the mass participation and nationwide success of ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign was celebrated. There are many more such examples which show how ‘Mann Ki Baat’ is not just a radio programme, but a reflection of India’s overall development and an expression of public participation.
Through the program ‘Mann Ki Baat’, the Prime Minister has successfully established a mechanism to take welfare schemes and policies to the people at all levels and create awareness about it. Not only this, through this the Prime Minister also explains how these schemes benefit people at the grassroots level and motivates more and more people to become beneficiaries of these schemes.
Even in times of crisis, this program has played a vital role in re-infusing energy among the people. For example, it made people aware of the situation during the Covid pandemic and motivated them to get vaccinated. The credit for the success of India’s vaccine story largely goes to the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme. This is proof enough of the relevance and importance of the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ program in our lives.
(The author is Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.)
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