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As one of the most popular radio programmes, ‘Mann ki Baat’ has created a unique place for itself in people’s hearts. In an age when radio was increasingly considered an obsolete medium, ‘Mann ki Baat’ may be credited with restoring its valued space in the world of communication. While its popularity increased with every episode, audiences across the nation multiplied, making it a vehicle for connecting the masses with many new initiatives and innovations. Starting on October 3, 2014, the day of Vijayadashami, the programme is now broadcast in 23 Indian languages and 29 dialects, with worldwide reach in 11 languages while becoming a phenomenon in itself. According to a survey conducted by IIM, Rohtak, 100 crore people have listened to the programme at least once, while 23 crore people have been listening to it regularly. Its popularity may be gauged from the fact that the then US President Mr. Barack Obama co-hosted ‘Mann Ki Baat’ along with the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, during his India visit on January 27, 2015. As ‘Mann Ki Baat’ completes its 100th broadcast, a glorious journey continues with the message of ‘Charaiveti’, the mantra of continuity and progress.
While ‘Mann Ki Baat’ increasingly became popular, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inspired the people with motivational stories of real life heroes, their struggles
While ‘Mann Ki Baat’ increasingly became popular, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inspired the people with motivational stories of real life heroes, their struggles and successes, and their ideas and vision while introducing them to the masses
and successes, and their ideas and vision while introducing them to the masses. In all episodes of ‘Mann Ki Baat’, the underlying theme has been to create a connection between people and make it a platform where people can communicate freely with him with their ideas and experiments. A campaign to promote the dignity of girl-child through the ‘Selfie With Daughter’ campaign, to pay homage to our heroes through #StatueCleaning campaign, or to promote the value of fitness through ‘FitIndia’ campaign were all aimed at giving momentum to the various movements at the mass level. Who can forget those trying days of the COVID-19 pandemic when PM Shri Narendra Modi effectively used the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ platform to keep the nation’s morale high and motivate the masses to fight the pandemic by converting challenges into opportunities? Whenever the country faced any adverse situation or a testing time, PM Shri Modi has always shown a ray of hope in times like these, and ‘Mann Ki Baat’ platform often became a powerful medium in his efforts to infuse positivity with his message of hope. His comforting words have been encouraging and soothing. He has also successfully used the platform to speak about the culture, the people, the language, the stories, and the festivals of the people who were not previously included in the mainstream. He has included the people of what were considered remote areas as the main part of the story of India. Not only were various areas brought together as the mainstream of India, but the platform has been also instrumental in bridging the generational divide.
It is the conversations and the ideas from ‘Mann ki Baat’ that have flown into a larger national resurgence as episode after episode is aimed at character-building with the eventual aim of nation-building. As the 100th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ once again looked back at its glorious journey over the last nine years, it bears testimony to the fact that one voice, one emotion, and one call are enough to create a revolution and bring a transformation to our thinking. Apart from creating awareness on social issues, it may be credited for helping develop a domestic toy industry, boosting domestic tourism, creating awareness for water conservation, making environmental protection, Swachhta Abhiyan, and Har Ghar Tiranga Abhiyaan mass movements, and helping record vaccinations in the country. As the nation looks forward for many more such episodes, the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ will continue to motivate the younger people and inspire the masses.
shivshaktibakshi@kamalsandesh.org