Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ to create history with 100th episode on Sunday, studies show programme has promoted inclusivity

NEW DELHI: The 100th episode of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s monthly radio address ‘Mann Ki Baat’ will be broadcast on Sunday with lakhs of people expected to listen to the popular programme in different parts of the world. It will be a historic moment with the 100th episode also to be broadcast live in the United Nations headquarters in New York.

The programme, which started on October 3, 2014, has become a key pillar of the government’s citizen-outreach programme addressing multiple social groups such as women, youth, farmers and has spurred community action.

Apart from 22 Indian languages and 29 dialects, Mann Ki Baat is broadcast in 11 foreign languages including French, Chinese, Indonesian, Tibetan, Burmese, Baluchi, Arabic, Pashtu, Persian, Dari and Swahili. Mann Ki Baat is being broadcast by more than 500 broadcast centres of All India Radio.

Studies have shown that over 100 crore people have connected to Mann Ki Baat at least once, it speaks directly to people, celebrates grassroots-level changemakers and achievements of people and has influenced people towards positive actions.

The BJP has planned massive outreach to make the 100th episode of Mann Ki Baat a memorable occasion. Sources said the party is planning to organise facilities in every assembly constituency of the country for people to listen to the programme.

The programme will be telecast live by Doordarshan in Raj Bhavans across the country. The Raj Bhavan in Mumbai will host citizens from Maharashtra who have been mentioned by the Prime Minister in previous editions of Mann Ki Baat along with other eminent personalities from the state.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who attended the valedictory session of National Conclave on Mann Ki Baat @100 on Wednesday, said that Mann Ki Baat is a unique experiment that has strengthened the foundation of democracy in the country.

The event, which was also attended by Union Minister for Railways Ashwani Vaishnav and Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur marked the release of a stamp and coin commemorating 100 episodes of Mann Ki Baat.

Shah said that people had almost forgotten All India Radio due to changing times and different mediums of communication, but Prime Minister connected the young generation through Mann Ki Baat and gave a new lease of life to All India Radio. He said that PM Modi took All India Radio to every home and village of the country.

He said the programme has provided a platform for the expression of the country’s positive energy and creative power. He said PM Modi has brought the mantra of democracy to the grassroots through 99 episodes of Mann Ki Baat.

Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday released Coffee Table Book ‘My Dear Fellow Citizens…’. The book, brought out by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, presents glimpses of over 100 inspiring stories, mentioned by PM Modi in the radio programme. He also released a book “Collective Spirit, Concrete Action”, authored by Shashi Shekhar Vempati, former CEO, Prasar Bharati, which describes the impact of the programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on the nation.

Dhankhar, who was speaking at the national conclave ‘Mann Ki Baat @ 100’ in New Delhi, said the programme reached every nook and corner of the country and is unparalleled in reach and popularity. He also credited the program for giving recognition and brand value to local art and artisans, and for generating a market space for them.

The Vice President said that as ‘Mann Ki Baat’ completes its 100th episode, it will be the foundation to ‘India @ 100’. He said that India will be at the top of the world when it will celebrate centenary of Indpendence in 2047.

Dhankhar said Mann Ki Baat gave a huge impetus to flagship initiatives of the government such as Swachh Bharat, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, and turned them into mass movements. He added that the PM’s addresses on the show were a ‘beacon of positivity’ to the nation during the COVID pandemic.

Noting that the 100th episode of Mann Ki Baat will be a historic milestone, Dhankhar lauded the programme for serving as an effective platform to popularise and bring to the mainstream the culture and festivals of the northeast and other states.

India’s Permanent Mission at the United Nations said the 300th episode of Man Ki Baat will go live in Trusteeship Council Chamber at the UN headquarters.

“Get ready for a historic moment as the 100th episode of PM Modi’s “Mann Ki Baat”[?] is set to go live on April 30th in Trusteeship Council Chamber at @UN HQ! #MannKiBaat has become a monthly national tradition, inspiring millions to participate in ‘s developmental journey,” India’s Permanent Mission at the United Nations said in a tweet.

Tourism Ministry has decided to celebrate the 100th Episode of ‘Mann ki Baat’ through its Yuva Tourism Clubs.

Tourism has been mentioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from time to time in the programme. Tourism Ministry proposes to undertake a special initiative of “100 Episodes of Mann ki Baat – 100 days of Action” through the Yuva Tourism Clubs. Culture Ministry has taken up three unique initiatives to mark the completion of the 100th episode of Mann ki Baat.

It is celebrating it through state-of-the-art projection mapping shows at 13 iconic locations including ASI monuments located across the country commencing on April 29.

The projection on each of the monuments will showcase the history, architectural importance and distinctiveness of the region highlighting the diversity of India on the lines of diverse topics and themes addressed by the Prime Minister in his show Mann Ki Baat.

Culture Ministry, in collaboration with NGMA, has curated an immersive experience though an art exhibition called the Jana Shakti, which will be inaugurated on April 30. It will showcase paintings by 12 renowned artists.

The third key initiative of the Culture Ministry involves the publication of the Amrit Chitra comics which will highlight the heroic stories of the common people mentioned by the Prime Minister in his Mann Ki Baat. It will present the experiences and the exceptional and good work done by these heroes in a story format.

A special study conducted by the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) found that 76 per cent of the Indian mediapersons believe that Mann Ki Baat has played a significant role in introducing the “real Bharat” to the countrymen.

The programme has initiated a trend where people are now more aware of the things in other parts of the country and they have started appreciating them.

Seventy-five per cent of the respondents felt that ‘Mann Ki Baat’ has emerged as a platform, which introduces grassroots innovators working selflessly to ensure a significant difference in the lives of people living in remote areas of India.

Another survey by IIM Rohtak said that Mann Ki Baat has reached 100 crore listeners

It said there were 23 crore regular listeners of Mann Ki Baat and 96 per cent of population was aware of the radio programme.
The powerful and decisive leadership of PM Modi and emotional connect with audience were cited as reasons for popularity of the programme by the listeners, the survey said.

Another research identified cleanliness and sanitation, health, wellness, water conservation, and sustainability as key themes of Mann Ki Baat.

It said the programme highlights government and citizen action in these priority areas and in turn, encourages listeners to establish or participate in “changemaking” initiatives in their own communities with the aim to have a lasting and sustainable impact on lives of people and for the country.

The report said that Mann Ki Baat speaks directly to people and celebrates their achievements within– and beyond– their communities. The programme celebrates grassroots-level changemakers.

The 100th episode of Mann Ki Baat will be broadcast on Sunday. The programme started on October 3, 2014, months after Narendra Modi took over the Prime Minister’s Office in May.

The research report cited instances of people being “moved to action” after listening to Mann Ki Baat programme.
The research looked at what makes Mann ki Baat unique.

“Real application of nudge theory; over 100 crore people have connected to Mann Ki Baat at least once; conversational, personal tone and practical subject matter make the programme feel more relevant, contextual and accessible to its audience; inclusion of all and encourages citizen action to bring about social and economic change; and it highlights key public-policy interventions related to the themes it covers in the episode,” the report said.

“The programme addressed multiple social groups– “women,” “youth,” and “farmers”– and emphasized on topics such as “cleanliness,” “Yoga,” “water,” “conservation,” “innovation,” “technology,” and “environment,” the report said.

According to the report, the ethos of Mann Ki Baat is 5Cs – Citizen Engagement, Catalysing Collective Actions, Cultural Commitment, Connecting with the Wider Masses and Celebrating Changemakers.

Mann Ki Baat is broadcast on last Sunday of every month. (ANI)