‘Mann Ki Baat’ Has Struck a Chord With The Youth Of India

The 100th episode of ‘Mann ki Baat’ will be aired on 30 April. The completion of 100 episodes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s radio show will be celebrated with an exhibition by well-known artists, projection mapping shows in iconic heritage sites like Red Fort and Konark Sun Temple, and Amar Chitra Katha comic books featuring individuals and themes mentioned in the series.

Mr. Modi engages with citizens through the monthly radio broadcast on topics and concerns of societal significance. Every month on the last Sunday, Mann Ki Baat is broadcast. It will be no exaggeration to say that through his monthly radio talk Prime Minister has struck a chord with the youth of the country.

India is a country of over 1.4 billion people, and it is the youth that comprises a significant portion of the population. The youth of the country plays a vital role in shaping the future of the country, and their opinions and ideas matter. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has understood this and has initiated various programs to engage the youth of the country.

‘Mann ki Baat’ started in 2014 when Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of India. The program besides being broadcast on All India Radio, and is also available on the internet and mobile apps. The objective of the program is to connect with the citizens of India and to share the Prime Minister’s thoughts on various issues that concern the country. The program provides a platform for the Prime Minister to speak directly to the people of India and to understand their thoughts and concerns.

The program has been a huge success, especially with the youth of India. Prime Minister has this unique ability to connect with them. Narendra Modi has a distinct style of communication, and he uses simple language that is easy to understand. The Prime Minister’s speeches are often peppered with anecdotes and stories that make them relatable and engaging.

The program has also given the youth of India a platform to voice their opinions and ideas. The Prime Minister often invites suggestions and feedback from the people of India on various issues, and the youth has been active in contributing to the program. More than 61,000 ideas were submitted online and 1.43 lakh listener audio recordings were received in the first fifteen addresses of the Mann ki Baat broadcast. Some carefully chosen calls are included in the broadcast each month.

The program has given the youth of India a sense of ownership and participation in the country’s decision-making process. ‘Mann ki Baat’ has also been a source of inspiration for the youth of India. The Prime Minister often shares stories of ordinary people who have done extraordinary things, and these stories have inspired the youth of India to do their bit for the country. The program has encouraged the youth of India to take up social causes and contribute to the country’s development.

In a 2014 survey aimed at gauging the success of the programme,  it was discovered that 66.7% of the people tuned in to the Prime Minister’s talk and found it to be helpful. According to a 2017 AIR poll, the states of Bihar, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh had the highest concentration of listeners. Mann Ki Baat became a major source of revenue for All India Radio.  A 10-second advertisement for Mann Ki Baat cost 2 lakhs (US$2,500) in 2015 as opposed to the standard AIR price range of 500 (US$6.30) to 1,500 (US$19) per 10 seconds.

Very artfully Prime Minister has now chosen Amar Chitra Katha comic books to mark the 100 episodes of Mann Ki Baat. The first of the series of the 12 Amar Chitra Katha comic books would be released on April 30 and the rest over the next one-year period.  Popular children’s books have most of their comics — their biographies and folktales — based on religious legends and epics, historical figures. “Free copies of the comic books would be distributed in all CBSE and Central Board schools. The publishers, however, are free to sell the books in an open market,” Union Culture Secretary Govind Mohan said. The government has bought the books from the publishers at a price that is 40-60% of the market rate, he added.

Mann Ki Baat would also be the theme for projection mapping shows in 13 iconic historical and cultural sites across the country, including the Red Fort, the Chittorgarh Fort, the Golkonda Fort, the Sun Temple in Konark, the Ramgarh Fort of Assam, the Vellore Fort in Tamil Nadu and the PM Museum in Delhi.

The Culture Ministry has also curated an exhibition of paintings on Mann Ki Baat themes, titled The Jana Shakti. The works of well-known artists like Manu Parekh, Paresh Maity, G.R. Iranna, and Manjunath Kamath will be featured. The exhibition would be inaugurated by noted painter Anjali Ella Menon on April 30 at the capital’s National Gallery of Modern Art. The 12 themes include water conservation, women’s empowerment, awareness about Corona pandemic, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, and environment and climate change.

In conclusion, ‘Mann ki Baat’ has struck a chord with the youth of India because of its accessibility, the Prime Minister’s ability to connect with them, the platform it provides to voice their opinions and ideas, and the inspiration it provides. It is no surprise that ‘Mann ki Baat’ has become one of the most popular radio programs in India, and it has become a symbol of the Prime Minister’s outreach to the youth of the country.