Anyone who gets the opportunity to meet and interact with Prime Minister Narendra Modi terms him as an inspiring leader and a keen listener. The case with Ritesh Agarwal, the founder of OYO is no different. Ritesh got an opportunity to discuss the travel and tourism industry with Prime Minister Modi. The small conversation he had with the PM, helped him galvanise a whole new business model.
In a video, Ritesh described PM Modi as someone who not only has the ability to have very deep attention at the macro level but also as someone who can discuss things which have an impact on the ground level.
He shared an example that was given by the Prime Minister. Quoting PM Modi, Ritesh said, “India is an agrarian economy. There are so many farmers in our country. Their incomes may vary at times. On the other hand, there are people who want to go to villages, seek accommodation and have an experience out of it. Why don’t you try village tourism to enable some of these farmers to have a sustainable long-term source of income and for urban dwellers to be able to see what truly a village life is?”
Ritesh shared how the few minutes of conversation with the PM about village tourism translated into an opportunity that has been benefitting several farmers and rural households to earn a sustainable income. Ritesh pointed out that such ability of the PM to have a massive depth as well as breadth about a subject is what made PM Modi a ‘Start-up Prime Minister.’
Ritesh further said that not only travel and tourism, but PM Modi has the same level of ability and depth to discuss subjects pertaining to any industry. “I have seen him having discussions about the expansion of data centres, how can we do well in renewable energy right from solar to ethanol, what all raw materials are required so that panels could be manufactured here in India, how can it benefit a company in the PLI scheme…..Whenever we talk about infrastructure, we limit ourselves to roads, railways and highways, but whenever we meet him as a part of an industry delegation, I have seen him discuss even consumer electronics. India, this year will be the single biggest country in electronics manufacturing, which rarely people know about. India has become a hotbed of drone manufacturing and research and innovation around it… In each of these industries, having such level of depth in my view is unparalleled and that’s what is making these industries grow quickly.”
Ritesh said Prime Minister Modi is an “incredible listener”. He narrated an instance from an event organised ahead of the Union Budget. He recalled what PM Modi had said at the event. Quoting the PM once again, he said, “If tourism needs to expand, we should make large-scale and long-term infrastructure investments through which the industry can avail its benefits.” Ritesh added that Kevadia in Gujarat is a great example of this thought and how attractions around the Statue of Unity has helped a hotel industry flourish there. “Forward-looking about five, ten, fifteen years about infrastructure is what I found fascinating about PM Modi as a long long-term reformist and value creator”, added Ritesh.
Ritesh went on to say that PM Modi has many attributes of an entrepreneur. He added, “PM Modi thinks big in terms of impact but before doing so he experiments it at a small scale. His ability is to look at large-scale initiatives and track its execution very closely.” The OYO founder remarked, “Our country has a leader who is saying that we are not satisfied by being incremental. We are a country that has a billion plus people with the aspiration and inspiration to be the best in the world.”
"A small conversation with Modi ‘The Startup Prime Minister’ galvanised the birth of a whole new business avenue!"
— Modi Story (@themodistory) August 22, 2022
OYO Founder @riteshagar shares his experiences with PM Modi.
Don't miss this inspiring #ModiStory!https://t.co/9iulCar3rR @themodistory pic.twitter.com/JpTxo4XZdp
Disclaimer:
It is part of an endeavour to collect stories which narrate or recount people’s anecdotes/opinion/analysis on Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi & his impact on lives of people.
