Modi walks in the wild with Bear Grylls

Agencies
August 13, 2019

New Delhi, Aug 13: Walking through the wild and taking a ride on a cold river in a makeshift boat were some of the things that Prime Minister Narendra Modi put up with as he teamed up with survivalist Bear Grylls to promote a cause close to his heart-protecting nature.

On Discovery channel's, "Man Vs Wild with Bear Grylls and Prime Minister Modi", he braved the rain and cold in the jungles of Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, and as the host put it, the PM was a "great sport".

"You are the most important man in India and my job is to keep you alive," Grylls joked.

During the conversation, Modi said fulfilling people's dreams gave him happiness and his focus is on development. "My position never goes to my head," he said, in reply to a question.

Grylls, who has had celebrity guests, including former American President Barack Obama, on his show earlier asked Modi about his childhood, dreams as the prime minister, whether he feared anything in life and if he ever felt nervous before a political rally.

Modi said he never had a good answer about “nervousness” as it was not a part of his temperament.

"My problem is that I have never experienced such fears. I am unable to explain it to people what nervousness is and how to deal with it because my in-built temperament is very positive. I see positivity in everything. And because of that reason, I am never disappointed."

Grylls said this was a strong message for the young.

“If I have to tell anything to the young generation, then I will say we should not think of our life in pieces. If we think of our life as a whole then there will be ups and downs. If you are going down, don't think about it because the way up starts from there,” he said.

When they came to the river during the five-mile walk, Grylls made Modi sit in a makeshift boat while he himself pushed it along, half submerged in water

At the end of the ride, they shared a hot drink laced with curry leaves.

"You must be the first prime minster ever in history to cross a river on a coracle like this,” the host quipped.

But Grylls, known for his death-defying feats and an irreverent style, spared the prime minister of what some of his guests go through.

Modi’s talked about living with love for nature and not exploiting it for one’s own ends but leaving it for the future generations.

He said India’s message to the world is Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, or the whole world is one family.

The show attracted some controversy months before its broadcast on Monday night. The Congress alleged the prime minister was busy shooting the show the day the Pulwama terror attack took place in Kashmir.

When Grylls asked whether he had ever dreamt of becoming prime minister, Modi said his focus has always been the development of the nation.

"I was the chief minister of a state first. I worked as a chief minister for 13 years, which was a new journey for me. Then my country decided I needed to do this job. So I have been doing this for the last five years.

"But the focus has been always been on one thing and that is development. And I am satisfied with that job. Today, if I consider this time as a vacation, then I must say I am taking a vacation for the first time in 18 years," Modi said.

On becoming the country's prime minister, Grylls asked whether he ever pinched himself.

"It never occurs to me who I am. I am above all this. When I was a chief minister and even now as the prime minister, I only think of my work, my responsibilities. My position never goes to my head," he added.

Recalling his childhood years, Modi said though there was poverty, his family was always connected with nature.

So much so that his father, despite there being no money, would buy 20-30 postcards and send it to relatives to inform them about the first rains in their village, he said.

At one point, Grylls, who made a makeshift spear, warned him about tigers in the area that they were walking through. Modi said, "God takes care of everything".

He said his beliefs did not allow him to kill anyone but he would hold the spear for the host.

"You should never be afraid of nature because when we think that we are in conflict with nature is when the problem starts," he said.

Asked whether he was a good student, the prime minister laughed and said, "I can't say that I was a good student."

He said that despite poverty, he liked to keep a neat appearance at school, ironing his uniform with coal embers in a copper bowl.

Modi said he left home when he was in his teens and spent his time in the Himalayas.

"I wanted to make a decision about my life. But before that I wanted to understand the world. I wanted to see the spiritual world. For that, I went to the Himalayas. I love nature. I met people in the Himalayas, stayed with them. It was a wonderful experience and I spent a long time there."

Prompted by Grylls, Modi talked about the time he sold tea at a railway station as a child, and when he brought home a baby crocodile from the pond where he had gone to bathe.

“My mother said to me this is wrong. You cannot do this. You should not do this, put it back. I went and put it back," the prime minister said.

Comments

H
 - 
Wednesday, 14 Aug 2019

Someone please tell him his protocol... There is something called maturity 

 

All stunts for for what.... For whom? 

 

 

 

 

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 18,2024

crisis.jpg

Mangaluru, Mar 18: The rising temperature has become a growing concern for residents of coastal district of Dakshina Kannada, as the issue of drinking water shortage continues to worsen in several parts. 

Though the water supply of Mangaluru city has not been affected much, nearby urban local bodies, including Ullal, Kotekar, Bajpe and other parts on the outskirts of Mangaluru have been facing an acute shortage of drinking water.

Though the water level in the Thumbe vented dam across Nethravati River has started going down in the last few days, officials have ruled out possibility of rationing the water supply in the city.

According to officials, the water level at Thumbe dam of the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) stood at 5.8 m as against the maximum storage capacity of 6m height on March 16. The water level at the dam during the same period last year was 5.3 metres. The water level reduced from 5.9 m on March 15 to 5.8 m on March 16 due to the scorching heat, causing evaporation.

The MCC has been drawing 160 MLD of water from the Thumbe vented dam. According to officials, without inflow, the maximum water stored in the dam will be sufficient for only 50 days. Meanwhile, the MCC has already started pumping backwater from downstream of the Thumbe vented dam back to the dam using pumpsets. Water from Thumbe dam can be drawn only if it has more than 1.5m of water in it.

DC Mullai Muhilan MP said that the district administration is closely monitoring water levels in all the dams that supply water.

The AMR dam located upstream of Thumbe dam has 18 m of water from sea level. If the water level in the Thumbe vented dam recedes, then water from the AMR dam will be released into the Thumbe dam. There is water in a dam at Biliyoor, which is located upstream of the AMR dam, the DC said.

“Drawing water for irrigation purposes from Thumbe and AMR dams has been banned,” the deputy commissioner said, adding that an order in this regard has already been issued. Some of the pockets in rural areas too have started facing water crisis.

“We have made arrangements to supply water through tankers in Ullal, Kotekar and Bajpe areas. We will not introduce water supply rationing in MCC limits for the time being,” he said and appealed to citizens to use water judiciously.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 21,2024

visa.jpg

Mangaluru: A man from Dakshina Kannada was duped of Rs 2.5 lakh after he was promised a Poland visa.

In a complaint, a resident of Belthangady, stated that the accused, Manoj, had promised a job for his son in Poland. 

Between May 22 of last year and March 19, he handed over Rs 2.2 lakh in various phases, citing different reasons.

However, since the accused failed to provide a visa or return the money, a case was registered at the Dharmasthala police station under IPC sections 417 and 420.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 21,2024

modiwhatsapp.jpg

New Delhi, Mar 21: Election Commission (EC) on Thursday directed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of Narendra Modi-led government to put an end to bulk WhatsApp messages labelled 'Viksit Bharat Sampark.' It has also sought a compliance report immediately from the ministry.

EC had received several complaints that such messages are still being delivered on citizens’ phones despite the announcement of Lok Sabha elections and the model code of conduct (MCC) entering into force.

In response, the govt informed the commission that although the letters were sent out before MCC came into force, some of them could have possibly been delivered to recipients with a delay because of systemic and network limitations.

In the past few days, several WhatsApp users have received messages from 'Viksit Bharat Sampark' seeking feedback and suggestions from the public. 

The message comes with a PDF that has a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioning government schemes like Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Ayushman Bharat, Matru Vandana Yojana, etc, and seeking suggestions from the citizens over government initiatives and schemes.

The letter which addresses users as 'my dear family members' had sparked political controversy. Congress has called the PDF file attached with the message a ‘political propaganda’.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.