PM Modi in an interaction with a Facebook page
In an interaction with the popular Facebook page the Humans of Bombay, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he used to go to the jungles for five days in a year during Diwali holidays. Modi said he would go to a place with only clean water and no people” for five days to reflect on his life. To his ‘young friends’, the prime minister advised to take some time off...think and introspect.
“Which is why, I always urge everyone, especially my young friends, in the midst of your fast-paced life and busy schedules, take some time off…think and introspect. It will change your perception – you will understand your inner self better,” the prime minister said.
Talking about his life after returning from the mountains, PM Modi said, "After coming back from the Himalayas, I knew that I wanted my life to be one that is lived in the service of others. Within a short span of returning, I left for Ahmedabad. It was my first brush with living in a big city - the pace of life was very different. I began my time there by occasionally helping my uncle at his canteen.”
"Eventually, I became a full time Pracharak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. There, I got the opportunity to interact with people from different walks of life and do a wide range of work. We all took turns to clean the RSS office, prepare tea and food for colleagues and clean utensils," he added.
The prime minister further said that though he was busy with the rigours of life, he was determined to not let go of the peace he got at the Himalayas
To maintain a balance in life, he decided to take five days out of the year that he would spend alone.
"Not many people know this, but I would go away for the five days of Diwali. Somewhere in a jungle - a place with only clean water and no people. I would pack enough food to last for those five days. There would be no radios or newspapers, and during that time, there was no TV or internet anyway," he said.
He further said the alone time gave him the strength to handle life.
The popular Facebook page released the interaction with PM Modi in parts.
In the previous two instalments of the interaction, PM Modi had spoken about his childhood - how he grew up as the son of a tea-seller, his early inclination towards the BJP's ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, and his two-year-long visit to the Himalayas. In yesterday's post, PM Modi talks about his life after returning from the mountains.
"I would reflect - and the strength that this alone time gave me still helps me to handle life and its various experiences. People often asked me, 'Who are you going to meet?' And I would say -- I am going to meet myself," he remembered.
