New Delhi | Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that every attempt to foster peace with Pakistan was met with hostility and betrayal and hoped that wisdom would prevail on the leadership in Islamabad to improve bilateral ties.
In an interaction with US-based popular podcaster and computer scientist Lex Fridman, Modi recalled that he had specially invited his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif for his swearing-in ceremony in 2014 with the hope that the two countries could turn a new leaf.
"Yet, every noble attempt at fostering peace was met with hostility and betrayal. We sincerely hope that wisdom prevails upon them and they choose the path of peace," the prime minister said.
Modi said he believed that even the people of Pakistan long for peace because they also must be tired of living in strife, unrest and relentless terror where even innocent children are killed and countless lives are destroyed.
The prime minister said his first attempt at improving bilateral relations was a gesture of goodwill.
"It was a diplomatic gesture unlike any in decades. The very people who once questioned my approach to foreign policy were taken aback when they learned I had invited all SAARC heads of state and our then President Pranab Mukherjee beautifully captured that historic gesture in his memoir," Modi said.
"This was a testament to how clear and confident India's foreign policy had become. This sent a clear message to the world about India's commitment to peace and harmony, but we didn't get the desired outcome," he said in the over three-hour podcast released on Sunday.
The prime minister called out Pakistan's long-standing role in fostering terrorism, emphasising that the world was no longer in doubt about where the roots of terror lie.
Modi said that time and again, Pakistan has emerged as the epicentre of terror, causing immense suffering not just to India but to the entire world.
Referring to the freedom struggle, Modi said everyone from what is now known as Pakistan and India fought "side by side, shoulder to shoulder".
"And the nation was eagerly waiting to celebrate the freedom, the joy of Independence. Now, we could have a lengthy discussion on what led to the events that unfolded. But the fact remains that the policymakers of the time agreed to India's partition," Modi said.
"And they agreed to the Muslim side's demand of carving out a separate nation. With hearts weighed down by grief and silent tears, Indians embraced this painful reality," the prime minister said.
"After getting their own way, we expected them to live and let live. And yet, they chose not to foster a harmonious coexistence. Time and again they decided to be at odds with India. They have waged a proxy war against us," Modi said.
He said Pakistan's behaviour should not be mistaken for ideology.
"What kind of ideology thrives on bloodshed and the export of terror? And we are not the sole victims of this menace. Wherever terror strikes in the world, the trail somehow leads to Pakistan. Let's take the September 11 attacks for example," PM Modi said, referring to how Osama bin Laden was found hiding in a house in Pakistan.
Guests on Fridman's podcast include Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, SpaceX founder Elon Musk, American businessman Jeff Bezos and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
New Delhi | Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he never feels lonely as God is always with him.
In a podcast with Lex Fridman aired on Sunday, Modi also shared influences of Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi on his life.
He also shared anecdotes from his time at Ramakrishna Paramahansa Ashram and his bond with Swami Atmasthananda.
When asked about being lonely, Modi said, "I never feel alone. I believe in the one plus one theory — one is Modi and other is the divine. I am never truly alone because God is always with me."
The prime minister added that for him, "Jan Seva hi Prabhu Seva hai" (service to mankind is service to God). He has the support of the divine and 140 crore Indians.
During the podcast, Lex Fridman, US-based popular podcaster and computer scientist, recited the Gayatri Mantra and turned to Modi to ensure his pronunciation was correct.
In response, the prime minister recited the mantra himself, sharing its deeper significance.
"Gayatri Mantra is deeply rooted in Surya Upasana and carries a profound
spiritual essence. Every mantra is not just a set of words but has a scientific connection,
reflecting different aspects of life and the universe," Modi said.
He emphasized that ancient Indian traditions seamlessly blend spirituality and science, offering timeless wisdom to humanity.
The prime minister shared that during his childhood, he frequently visited the village library, where he read about Swami Vivekananda, whose teachings left a profound impact on his life.
"From Vivekananda, I learned that true fulfilment comes not from personal achievements but from selfless service to others," he said.
Modi narrated a story from Swami Vivekananda's life where he goes and asks Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa ji that his mother is ill and he needs help.
"To this Paramahamsa ji advised him to go to Devi Kali and ask for help. This
incident made Vivekananda ji realise that how can he ask something from the divine who has already given everything to the world, realizing that serving humanity is the highest form of devotion to the divine," he said.
He recalled his time at the Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Ashram, where he came in contact with saints and received immense love from them.
"I developed a deep bond with Swami Atmasthananda, who became a guiding force in my life. Swami Atmasthananda advised me that his true purpose was to serve people and work for the welfare of society," he said.
Modi highlighted Mahatma Gandhi's ability to transform India’s freedom struggle into a 'Jan Andolan' (public movement) by recognizing the power of 'Jan Shakti'.
The prime minister shared that in his own approach, he always strives to involve as many people as possible in every initiative, turning it into a mass movement with 'Jan Bhagidari'.
He emphasised that society’s collective strength is boundless.
"Mahatma Gandhi is the greatest leader of not just the 20th century but also that of the 21st century and upcoming centuries as well," he said.
Fridman, who had moved to the US from Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union, started his podcast in 2018 which was originally titled the Artificial Intelligence Podcast but the name changed to Lex Fridman Podcast in 2020.
Guests on his podcast include Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, SpaceX founder Elon Musk, American businessman Jeff Bezos and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
New Delhi | Recalling his early life spent in extreme poverty, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he picked up life's lessons at his father's tea shop and from his mother who treated children with home remedies, imbibing in him the spirit of service at a young age.
In a podcast with Lex Fridman, Modi shared about his childhood spent in a small home with no windows where his parents, siblings, uncles, aunts and grandparents lived.
"My early life was spent in extreme poverty, but we never really felt the burden of poverty," he said, reminiscing how his father worked tirelessly, late into the night and his mother ensured that the children never felt the struggles of the circumstances.
"But despite everything, these challenging circumstances of living in scarcity never left a mark on our minds," the prime minister said.
Modi said he was not aware when, but the habit of dressing neatly has been there since childhood and cited the example of his white canvas shoes, as a schoolgoing child, to illustrate the point.
The prime minister recalled that his uncle got him a pair of white canvas shoes after finding that he went to school barefoot.
Having received the shoes, Modi's next worry was how to keep them clean.
"In the evening, after school was over, I would stay back for a while. I would go from classroom to classroom, collecting leftover pieces of chalk that the teachers had discarded. I would take the pieces of chalk home, soak them in water, mix them into a paste, and polish my canvas shoes with it, making them bright white again," he said.
"For me, those shoes were a treasured possession, a symbol of great wealth. And I don't exactly know why, but from childhood, our mother was extremely particular about cleanliness. Perhaps that's where we inherited that habit too," Modi said.
The prime minister said his mother possessed knowledge of traditional remedies and healing practices, and would treat children with these home remedies.
"Every morning before sunrise, around five o'clock, she would start treating them, so all the children and their parents would gather at our home, little children crying, and we had to wake up early because of it," he recalled.
"This spirit of service, in a way, was nurtured through these experiences. A sense of empathy for society, the desire to do good for others, these values were instilled in me from my family. I believe that my life has been shaped by my mother, my father, my teachers, and the environment I grew up in," Modi said.
The prime minister said as a child he would sit at his father's tea shop and observe how people interacted with each other.
"I observed their ways of speaking, their expressions. These things taught me a lot, even though I wasn't in a position to apply it then, I thought, 'If I ever get the chance, why not? Why shouldn't I present myself well'," he said.
He shared that during his childhood, he frequently visited a village library, where he read about Swami Vivekananda, whose teachings left a profound impact on his life.
Modi also recalled how he spent time roaming in the Himalayas in his younger days when he met great ascetics, who had renounced everything.
"Perhaps it was my age of curiosity, of wanting to learn, to understand. It was a new experience, a world shaped by the mountains, by ice, by the towering snow-covered peaks. But all of this played a huge role in shaping me. It strengthened me from within and enabled me to discover my inner power," he said.
"Practising meditation, waking up in the sacred pre-dawn hours, bathing in the cold, serving people with devotion and naturally tending to elderly saints became a seamless part of who I was," Modi said.
"The Modi, who lovingly helped his mother care for children during their treatments, tending to them with patience and compassion. The Modi who wandered through the Himalayas. And the Modi who now works from this seat of responsibility. They are all tied together by the same inner consistency," he said.
The prime minister recalled the time he spent at the Ramakrishna Ashram, where he came in contact with saints and received immense love from them.
Modi said he developed a deep bond with Swami Atmasthananda, who became a guiding force in his life. Swami Atmasthananda advised him that his true purpose was to serve people and work for the welfare of society.
Fridman, a US-based computer scientist, started his podcast in 2018 which was originally titled the Artificial Intelligence Podcast but the name changed to Lex Fridman Podcast in 2020.
Guests on his podcast include US President Donald Trump, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, SpaceX founder Elon Musk, American businessman Jeff Bezos and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
