As the festival season gathers momentum, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged citizens to take pride in buying and using swadeshi products, underscoring his call for “vocal for local” as the pathway to a self-reliant and developed India.
Delivering the 125th episode of his monthly radio broadcast Mann ki Baat, the Prime Minister stressed that everything needed in daily life should be home-grown. “Say with pride this is swadeshi, say with pride this is swadeshi, say with pride this is swadeshi. We have to move forward with this feeling. The only mantra is vocal for local, the only path is Aatmanirbhar Bharat, the only goal is developed India,” he said.
The exhortation came at a time when India’s economic self-reliance has become a political rallying point, more so following tensions in trade ties with the United States after President Donald Trump imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods.
With Ganesh Chaturthi underway and Durga Puja and Diwali approaching, Modi urged households to choose indigenous products while buying clothes, gifts, decor or festive essentials.
The broadcast also touched upon India’s cultural imprint abroad. Modi noted that a 51-feet-tall statue of Lord Ram was recently unveiled in Mississauga, Canada, while Russian children in Vladivostok had exhibited paintings on the Ramayana. “It is indeed heartening to see the growing awareness of Indian culture in different parts of the world,” he said.
Turning sombre, the Prime Minister acknowledged the toll of this year’s monsoon. “At places, homes were destroyed; at others, fields were submerged; families were ruined in large numbers. Elsewhere, bridges were swept away by gushing water; roads were washed away; people's lives were enmeshed in danger. These incidents have saddened every Indian,” he said.
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He commended the tireless work of rescue teams, who deployed advanced technology such as thermal cameras, life detectors, sniffer dogs and drone surveillance in relief operations. “Security forces, local population, social workers, doctors and the administration have made every possible effort in this hour of crisis,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister also highlighted developments in Jammu and Kashmir, noting that Pulwama hosted its first day-night cricket match and Srinagar held the country’s inaugural Khelo India Water Sports Festival at Dal Lake. He called both events a sign of change and youth potential in the region.
Sports also figured prominently in his remarks as he revealed that German football coach Dietmar Beiersdorfer had volunteered to train young players from Shahdol in Germany after learning of their struggles in a podcast conversation. “The life journey of young football players of Shahdol impressed and inspired him a lot,” Modi said.
In a historic reflection, Modi played an archival audio clip of India’s first Home Minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, recalling Operation Polo — the 1948 military action that liberated Hyderabad from the Nizam’s rule. “Next month, in September, we will celebrate Hyderabad Liberation Day. This is the same month when we will remember the courage of all those heroes who took part in Operation Polo,” he said.
Modi reminded listeners that Patel acted when Razakar militias loyal to the Nizam targeted people for raising the tricolour or chanting “Vande Mataram.”
Through the wide-ranging broadcast, the Prime Minister interwove themes of self-reliance, cultural pride, resilience in adversity, and the binding spirit of “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat.”
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