The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a joint radio address with US President Barack Obama on the country’s national broadcaster, All India Radio (AIR), on January 27.
Obama was invited as the chief guest for India’s 66th Republic Day celebrations the day before.
Modi has been hosting a radio show called ‘Mann Ki Baat’ (Message from the mind) every month where he has a direct talk with citizens over various issues.
This special recorded broadcast was about 30 minutes long and began with the Indian PM introducing Obama and explaining the meaning of his first name, which means ‘one who is graced’ in Swahili.
Obama greeted the listeners in Hindi with ‘namaste’ and both leaders focused mostly on social issues and personal experiences.
Speaking on healthcare, Obama said: “The public health infrastructure around the world needs to be improved,” and lauded Modi for “doing a great job in focusing on these issues here in India”.
To a question on girl child, Modi said the sex ratio in India is a concern as for every 1000 boys, the number of girls is much less, “The main reason for this is that, there is a defect in our attitudes towards boys and girls,” he said.
The Prime Minister said the life of the US President is an inspiration, considering the “way he has brought up his two daughters, the way he is proud of his two daughters.”
Noting that they come from very humble backgrounds, both Obama and Modi said they had never imagined that they would occupy the top positions in their respective countries.
This was in response to a question to Modi about an old photograph of him outside the White House and whether he had ever thought that one day he would go inside to meet the President.
“At that time, I had never thought that sometime in my life, I would get a chance to visit the White House,” said Modi who met Obama there in Washington last September.
Obama added: “The same is true for me. When I first went to the White House, I stood outside that same fence, and looked in, and I certainly did not imagine that I would ever be visiting there, much less living there.”
When asked: “What inspires you and makes you smile at the end of a bad day at work?” Obama said: “…the only problems that come to my desk are the ones that nobody else solves…. So there are days when it’s tough and frustrating. But I tell you what inspires me … almost every day I meet somebody who tells me, ‘You made a difference in my life’.”
Listen to the broadcast below.
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