The official website of the dynamic Gujarat Chief Minister & BJP leader Narendra Modi containing news, events, speeches and videos : Ask A Question To Shri Narendra Modi

I do watch. I watch movies. Last, I saw `Wednesday’ at the insistence of Anupam Kher. As mark of respect to his invitation, I went to a theatre to watch the movie.

When I was a student I used to watch movies more often. Now also I enjoy and feel like watching movies but because of time constraints I have let go of this
pastime.

Friends, in a lighter vein I feel like saying when day and night films are made taking a dig at me, what is the need to go out?

I have been brought up in an environment that can be called as traditional with simplicity and straightforwardness as its main focus. Our culture puts emphasis on Vegetarianism; so I am used to having simple food routinely. Gujarati daal, rice, roti, saag or khichdi, kadhi, bhakri form part of my regular diet.

By god’s grace, having been single, I have been continually traveling for more than 35 years. My basic nature is to know and discover the world around me. I got a chance to travel extensively across 300 districts of India. Thus I got an opportunity to enjoy the local flavor. I have enjoyed special cuisines of almost all the states many a times.

I have had many opportunities to travel abroad. There vegetarian food like Thai, Chinese and Mexican suits me. Being fit for a healthy lifestyle, I relish them.

If I have to sum up my thoughts on Gujarat’s agricultural success in one word it would be India First, our action plan is India First, my dream is India First, and our life is dedicated to India First. I welcome you all to join me in my dream to make India reach new heights, let’s work together and move ahead with this political and social movement to make our country proud in the entire world. I congratulate my people in Gujarat for their unstinted support in Gujarat’s agricultural development even in the absence of elections as they are beyond the give and take that surrounds elections. They only dream of one thing - that the country accepts the right political thought and moves ahead with it. Your efforts will bear fruit someday. Your hard work will give sweet results. And brothers and sisters I would like to tell you that it was from Gujarat’s land that Gandhi and Sardar Patel initiated the Swaraj Movement. Gujarat has played a major role in helping the country gain Swaraj. Today the country is yearning for Suraaj and I want to assure you that Gujarat’s BJP Government is constantly working in the way of making our country reach new heights of success and development.

I have been a regular reader of poetry for years but now I read files. Suresh bhai told me Narendra Bhai, write and send some poetry to us, why don’t you send us your poems? Now I am not able to write. Today if I get to know that a rode is being made in some remote village, I’ll feel my poetry has formed its expression. In some poor household, where a lady is struggling between life and death and if I am able to help her in some way, even when I am far from her reach, I’ll feel my poetry has been created. A family whose four fathers are uneducated, where education never found a place in their life, if a girl of that family climbs the stairs of a school, I’ll feel my poetry has expressed all my emotions to the fullest. It’s my deep faith that poetry gives birth to a poet and a poet doesn’t give birth to the poetry.

Delayed monsoon had raised a lot of concerns. Rain delay paralyses many lives. Economy gets affected. Villages, farmers are put into trouble.

Finally, the rain gods smiled on us. They made us wait and tested our patience. But once monsoon arrived, there was greenery everywhere -- on the earth as well as in our souls. The anxiety ended, filling our hearts with happiness.

Friends, everybody loves rains. Even I do. I feel like sharing my childhood memories of rains with all of you.

I hail from a small village. After first showers, my father used to get 150-200 postcards from the post-office, sit for hours together writing letters to near and dear ones and share the excitement of monsoon. For him, arrival of monsoon was nothing less than a family celebration.

As a kid, I used to find this very puzzling. I always used to think: Why does he toil so hard to write letters when it has rained everywhere and even newspapers have written about it? As I grew older, I understood the importance of monsoon. I realized how it affected all and sundry -- trade, business, employment, agriculture, farmers, villages among others. This belief crystallised after I took over as the chief minister of Gujarat. Being at the helm, one realises what rains mean to economy and agriculture. Sometimes people ask me: Between God and rains, what would you seek? I would say rains. Rains are like Gods blessings that make day-to-day life live-able.

Today, I understand why rains made my father so happy.

In Gujarat there were many people who were uneducated even before I was born and it hurts me a lot. Should we not change these circumstances? Isn’t it our responsibility towards society? And hence in the entire state we had to ignite this movement of education. Our state is known for its rapid development. Till the year 2001 -02 the situation was such that of 100 students who were of the age of getting enrolled in the schools only 60 got enrolled. And of these 60 students, 40 students dropped out. Earlier it was 40 but today the number has reduced merely to two. I feel sad even for those 2 students who dropped out from the school. Why should any student give up studies? I want to start a revolution in which not a single student of my state is poor in studies, weak in reading, whose dreams are not tainted, we have to create an atmosphere of education. I want to appeal to all the educated citizens of the state to give me 100 hours of their life. And I am sure that your hundred hours will lay the foundation for the coming 100 years. If the educated youth of Gujarat gives me their 100 hours then we have all the strength to lay a solid foundation for the coming 100 years.

In the coming era, the form of education will not remain the same. Now, along with the degree, skill is also emphasized. Gujarat Government has begun focusing on skill development through a project named Gujarat Knowledge Society (GKS). One can not think of life without arts. Any discipline is linked with human lives, tradition and history. In coming days, we shall have to inter relate and integrate them all. Skill development relates itself to arts, science and commerce along with the technology. We have to think of a new and a fresh model combining technology with arts and science. If we do so men will not become machines. Men will remain sensitive and active.

Friends, We need not relate NCC or NSS activities to terrorism. NCC and NSS activities are meant for self-discipline and for developing altruism. Such activities provide you an opportunity to look at things in a broader perspective. Those who are well disciplined from the childhood, benefit a lot in a long run. I am proud of getting NCC training in my childhood. That childhood training made me a disciplined person which helps me even today. My love for discipline may not be liked by many but finally it is beneficial for all. NCC – NSS are the media for self – development. As far as combating terrorism is concerned, what is required is the strong will to fight back. Terrorism is and arch enemy of humanity. All those who believe in humanity should come together and pronounce it in one voice without any if and but. What could be a worse example of inhuman act of terrorism than killing patients in a hospital!
In the matter of terrorism at times awareness yields better results than fighting it out. Citizens can come forward and help. For instance, if you see any unidentified object while you are traveling and if you inform the concerned authority you can save many from a fatal disaster. Similarly if you find some doubtful person having come to stay in the neighbor and inform police about it then we can avoid a big problem in future. After all, terrorist dwell somewhere around us only! If we keep our ears and eyes open, it is not easy for them to operate. But for that we all need to be aware and we need to make proper legal provisions and the culprit should be severely punished. Recently I met our Prime Minister. I told them that why is the Gujarat Legislative Assembly which represents five and a half crore Gujaraties, is not allowed to formulate the law that protect the people of Gujarat, the law that already exists in the state of Maharastra? GUJCOC is there to prevent the wrong doers. I asked him, “Why do parents put a lock to the cupboard in their home? Is it to protect it from the thieves? No, it’s to stop children to form bad habit of using money as and when they want. In the same way GUJCOC is to stop our youth to go on a wrong path. It is to protect the coming generations. Children coming from good families do not want to walk along a wrong path! So friends, NCC and terrorism have two different contexts. NCC is for self – development.

Gujarat has a long sea coast. I have requested the Central Government to start a Navy – NCC course for the schools in the coastal region. They are all fishermen’s children. Their lives are linked with sea. If they take this course they can become Navy-NCC officers and they can proudly protect the sea coast of Gujarat.

Raviraj’s question is: What is the role of Gujarat Knowledge Society (GKS) in the development of Gujarat.

Friends, in China there are skill development programmes for about 50,000 subjects. Any one can take up any programmes that he wants to. GKS is also a step towards skill development. In our country if do not focus on skill development, if skill development is not coupled with the degrees then we shall not be able to stand in the Global market and shall not be able to contribute to the country’s growth. Besides, there are many children who give up their studies after 5th or 7th standard. If he works as a daily labour he would earn only 25 to 30 rupees a day. But, if works as a skilled labour he can easily make 150 to 200 rupees a day! Think of any construction work. If there are skilled labours working in that work there will be more, better and faster output. Recently there was a proposal for training boys at the airport. We trained them with the help of an urban development programme called ‘Ummid.’ Today those boys are earning fairly well. Thus skill development provides good earning opportunity even to poor. Besides, the man feels that he is a part of the process of development. GKS is an attempt to develop skills, generate work opportunity and instill the spirit of entrepreneurship. Knowledge Society will extend its activities in schools after the school hours so as to make the optimum utilization of the school infrastructure.

Recently we have tried out a novel way for engineering students. They have been sent to ‘Nagar Palikas.’ In future they will also be sent to IIT’s and polytechnic colleges. Those who possess some technical knowledge shall be involved in these kinds of skill development programmes. Thus they will earn money and the state will be able to develop human resource.

The state Government has also taken one more initiative of imparting training to engineering students through a satellite. The name of the programme is EDUSET. If they go out for training they have to spend about 25,000 rupees. Where as, the Government offers this programme, just for a sum of Rs. 100. About 4000 students have availed this training so far. We also assess them online and offer certificate. This training certificate will fetch those better jobs. The engineer, who otherwise gets 15,000, would now get 25,000 after the training. Thus any one, whether an engineer or a 7th pass, could take this skill development course and begin earning well. I wish to involve senior citizens too in this project and thus make all benefit from the GKS project.

A child whom you feel like taking in your hands despite your getting late for your bus, is a healthy child! A child whose mere presence makes the atmosphere charged like a bouquet of flowers is a healthy child. The child might have one finger less or more but that does not prevent him from being healthy. A child is healthy when he does not have any disease. Any physical handicap does not make him unhealthy. With whatever physical body structure if the child has all his mental and physical faculties working well is a healthy child.

At times we see a child crying but his mother working in the kitchen may not be able to hare the child’s cry. This child may not be called a healthy child. The cry should be so loud that even if the mother is on the third floor she has to come running to the child. Have you ever seen a child crying for getting out of the cradle? No, he would simply jump over!

I would tell all, especially the mothers that; if your child is healthy you will not have to go for weight reduction programmes. Running after the child would automatically reduce your weight. A healthy child keeps the family healthy!

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