Anupa Kujur Moneycontrol News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first radio address to the nation - Mann Ki Baat - took place on October 3, 2014. It has gained immense popularity over the past two-and-a-half years, with Modi addressing the nation once a month on different topics.
Now, the short history of the Prime Minister's popular radio show has been chronicled in a book 'Mann Ki Baat: A Social Revolution on Radio'.
Written by Rajeev Gupta, the book is a compilation of Modi's speeches that gives readers a chance to know unknown facets of the Prime Minister's thinking, his beliefs and his thought process.
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has written the preface to the book. "This book is filled with Prime Minister Modi's enthusiasm for interacting with the people of India, particularly with the youth. I cannot but feel his strong passion for dialogue with his people," Abe wrote.
The book tells the backstory of how the idea was concieved and the way it transformed into a set format.
An excerpt mentions an anecdote about when officials went to PM regarding the nomenclature. Narendra Modi replied to their query saying, “Arre isme kya hain? Kaho kuch halki phulki mann ki baaten karoonga".
According to the book, several names like 'PM ke saath ru-ba-ru', 'Varta Modi Ji Ke Saath' and 'Modi Vaani', were initially considered for the programme.
The book illustrates how 'Mann Ki Baat' has bridged the gap between the 'Old India' and the 'New India', the latter representing the youth in particular.
It also narrates the impact of 'Mann Ki Baat', where the Prime Minister's talk initiated the mass movements in cleanliness, promoting India's tourism and following traffic rules.
The book mentions that Modi gets thousands of letters from listeners of Mann Ki Baat every month. Although he does not read all of them because of his busy schedule, those he reads are looked at carefully to find out the issues and concerns of the citizens of the country.
The 'Mann Ki Baat' book also a critical analysis of the show in terms of the feedback from listeners, and metamorphosis of the phrase Mann Ki Baat, which entered the political lexicon in order to mock Prime Minister Modi.
However, Prime Minister's idea to communicate people directly through radio grabbed the attention of many listeners as the medium has a far better reach than television in India.
"I have been a quintessential organization man all my life," said PM Modi about the power of radio in the book. "I know the difference the radio can make. American Presidents used it well... So many people heard Martin Luther King's 'I have a dream' speech on the radio. It has a transformative power like no other medium."
Microsoft founder Bill Gates has also contributed the book. He wrote, "Mann Ki Baat is a great example of how media can be used as a platform for bringing about positive change. Through this new initiative Prime Minister Modi has included millions of Indians in a collaborative effort that can improve the efficiency of public service information delivery and accelerate progress."
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