September 10, 2015
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Gujarati from Mehsana district, today said he learnt the national language while selling tea at railway stations.
September 10, 2015
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Gujarati from Mehsana district, today said he learnt the national language while selling tea at railway stations.
"Chai ne mujhe Hindi sikha di (tea provided me the opportunity to lean Hindi)" he said to the guffaws of his audience – at the 10th World Hindi Summit. He said at the platform he had to serve many a Hindi-speaking trader from Uttar Pradesh and in the process, he picked up the language.
Underscoring how he came to understand the strength of a language, the Prime Minister — a powerful orator known for his connect with the audience — added, "I wonder what would have happened to me if I hadn't known Hindi. How would have I reached out to the people?"
The significance of Hindi is about to increase, he said. "The film industry has done a great work of taking Hindi to countries in Europe and Central Asia… There's so much work going on in Russia in Hindi."
The language had even entered the vocabulary of world leaders, he said. "Leaders all over the world say Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas," he said.
And on Hanukkah, "I wished Israeli PM in Hebrew on Twitter. He responded in Hindi," added the Prime Minister, who had even spoken on the world stage in the national language – notably at the UN General Assembly in New York last September.
Since taking charge as Prime Minister in May last year, Mr Modi has stuck to Hindi for most of his speeches and interactions with world leaders.
Even during his visit to China earlier this year, PM Modi had spoken in Hindi, communicating with the Chinese President Xi Jinping with the help of interpreters.
Courtesy: NDTV
