NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi on Friday revealed what he called the recipe for his success: a God-given ability to see what is coming.
“I am often asked about the secret of my success? I don’t respond. Would a restaurateur let you take a peek into his kitchen? But today, I will let you know. By the grace of God, I can sense what is going to unfold before it manifests itself,” PM said as he predicted that
youth in India
, with their creativity, are going to make a splash globally.
Presenting the maiden
National Creators Award
introduced to recognise those who have made a mark in
online content creation
, Modi said, “That’s why I see that this first-of-its-kind award, which is energising the new era and honouring the youth, creativity and social sensitivities, is going to acquire a higher profile in the coming days.”
His speech at the award ceremony, highlighted by his spontaneous interaction with the winners, many of them household names, saw Modi making bold predictions about India’s potential to emerge as a leading AI force and carve out its place in the field of semiconductors. “I have no doubt. I can see it coming,” Modi said.
Modi said the event, attended by minister for electronics and information technology Ashwini Vaishnaw, had nothing to do with polls. However, his confidence about NDA’s prospects clearly came across. “We will have a second edition of this award ceremony and I will be presenting the awards next year as well,” he said. At another point, while on the subject of public hygiene, he said, “Is baar chunav main bahut safai hone wali hai,” to huge applause from the gathering at Bharat Mandapam hall.
It was a vivid display of his trademark oratory, marked by ready wit, something which led Shraddha, recipient of best creative creator award whose multilingual comedy sets are a huge hit, to remark, “Sir, your spontaneity has floored us all.”
Modi blended use of terms popular with techies and influencers with self-deprecating humour to connect with the crowd as he brought into play his favourite themes of women empowerment, public hygiene, health and fitness, and the certainty of India breaking into the club of global biggies.
Talking about India’s strength in fashion, while presenting the heritage fashion icon award to Jahnvi Singh, the PM said, “India has been the leader in the world of fashion… if you think a mini-skirt is a creation of modern times or to carry a purse like this (showing in gesture) has come into vogue recently, you visit Konark. Of the many statues in 1,000-year-old temples, there is one statue of a girl. That daughter is wearing a mini-skirt with a purse hanging from her hand. This means centuries ago, our sculptors’ knew what was fashionable at the time in our country.”
Recalling an inspirational film on the topic ‘studying is an easier task than suicide,’ he also touched upon mental health issue and urged content creators to design more such content “which will create awareness on negative affect of drugs among youth”. Referring to stress among children, Modi said, “Earlier, in joint families, it was taken care of by someone from the household. Now, at the time of micro families, we are not aware of the build-up of stress in a child over time. Many might think a PM interacting with students during Pariksha Pe Charcha was a waste of time. But I know, I need to connect with them, handhold them.”
He also called upon content creators to be a link to support the talent among persons with disabilities. “The inherent strength possessed by Divyangs needs to be explored and connected to social media,” he said.