Mann Ki Baat: Modi unveils e-book with essays by start-up entrepreneurs
By Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi, June 25: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday unveiled an e-book on his monthly radio broadcast ‘Mann Ki Baat’, with focus on start-ups.
In his last few episodes of the radio programme, Modi has been speaking more on the start-ups eco-system in the country.
In the 89th episode of the radio programme, Modi had hailed the Indian start-ups, saying that over 100 new business initiatives have entered the unicorn club, each valued at or above USD one billion.
In fact, India now has 103 unicorns, with the club growing fast in the post-pandemic phase.
The e-book has brought in a number of new age entrepreneurs who are now icons for the start-ups.
Sanjeev Bhikchandani of naukari.com, Falguni Nayar of Nyakka, Nitin Kamath and Nikhil Kamath of Zerodha, Madan Podaki of 1Bridge, Meera Shenoy of youth4jobs are among the prominent entrepreneurs who have written essays in the e-book.
The e-book has covered various topics that Modi have mentioned in the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ broadcast, which includes the likes of spiritual tourism, Yoga, start-ups, Self-help groups, cultural diversity.
Incidentally, the radio programme, broadcast on the last Sunday of each month, has already become a regular feature for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders to listen to Modi in the community settings.
The BJP chief JP Nadda sits with people at a certain designated place to listen to the radio programme with the people and later he gives speeches. The pattern is followed by the other BJP leaders. This outreach with the radio programme helps the BJP connect with the people while also keeping the party workers on their toes to remain connected in their neighbourhood.
Besides, the e-book is part of the wider documentation exercise of the BJP and the Modi government, which again gives the party scale of visibility among the followers.
Prof. J S Rajput, former NCERT director, has also peened an essay in the e-book. “Ideological autonomy existed in India even before the Vedic era. A person was free to choose onse’s sect, beliefs, rituals of worship, or freedom of being a theist or an atheist. Because of this autonomy, various cultures, languages, dresses, arts and literature co-existed and prospered in the country,” wrote Prof. Rajput.
Meera Shenoy of the youth4jobs wrote that she decided to work for ‘Divyangs (disabled)’ because 80 per cent of them are in the developing countries like India and most of them are poor. “They have low education, poor health and therefore they live for years in poverty,” she added.
About The Author
