Below is the transcript of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's monthly 'Mann Ki Baat' speech
My dear countrymen, Namaskar. I begin ‘Mann Ki Baat’ today with a heavy heart. 10 days ago, Mother India had to bear the loss of many of her valiant sons. These brave hearts made the supreme sacrifice in securing the lives of a hundred & twenty five crore Indians. In order to ensure that their fellow countrymen could sleep peacefully, these brave sons toiled relentlessly, day or night. As a consequence of the Pulwama terror attack and the sacrifice of the brave jawans, people across the country are agonized and enraged. All around, there is a deluge of strong feelings of sympathy for the martyrs & their family members. The outrage that singes your being and mine on account of the terrorizing violence replicates itself in the collective inner psyche’ of every citizen of the country; it also echoes in pro-humanity communities of the world, which sincerely believe in humanity. I respectfully bow to all the brave sons of the country, who laid down their lives, protecting the honour of their motherland, India. This martyrdom will keep inspiring us relentlessly to uproot the very base of terrorism; it will fortify our resolve. We shall have to take up this challenge facing our country, forgetting all barriers of casteism, communalism, regionalism and other difference, so that, our steps against terror are firmer, stronger and more decisive. Our armed forces have consistently displayed unparalleled courage and valour. On the one hand, they have displayed exemplary capabilities in restoring peace; on the other, they have retaliated in equal measure, in a language the attackers understand.
You must have seen how within a hundred hours of the attack, retributive action was accomplished. The Army has resolved to wipe out terrorists and their harbourers. The martyrdom of these brave soldiers brought to the fore, through the media, touching, inspiring stories of their kin, which gives hope and strength to the entire country. The fortitude displayed by Ram Niranjanji, father of Martyr Ratan Thakur of Bhagalpur, Bihar, in this moment of tribulation is truly inspiring. He has expressed the wish of sending his second son too, to take on the enemy; if need be, he himself would go and fight. The country salutes the indomitable courage of Meenaji, wife of Martyr PrasannaSahu of Jagatsinghpur, Odisha. She has vowed to send her only son to join the CRPF. When the mortal remains of Martyr Vijay Soren, draped in the tricolour reached Gumla, Jharkhand, his innocent son iterated that he too would join the armed forces. The mettle of this innocent lad is a representative sample of the feelings of each &every child of the Nation today. Similar sentiments are coming to the fore in the households of our brave heart martyrs. No martyr, no family is an exception to that.
Whether it be the family of Martyr Vijay Maurya of Devariya, the parents of Martyr Tilakraj of Kangra or the six-year-old son of Martyr Hemraj of Kota – the story of every family of martyrs is full of inspiration. I urge the young generation to know and understand the fortitude and the sentiment displayed by these families. To understand the virtues of patriotism, sacrifice and perseverance, one doesn’t need to revert to historical events. These are but living examples before your eyes… these very examples are a source of inspiration for the future of a rising & glowing India.
My dear countrymen, the rather long wait after Independence for a War Memorial is about to be over. It is natural for our countrymen to be curious about it. On the Narendra Modi App, Shri Onkar Shetty Ji of Udupi, Karnataka has expressed his happiness on the completion of the National War Memorial. India not having a National War Memorial used to surprise me, pain me… a Memorial that would house the valour saga series of our brave soldiers who laid down their lives, safeguarding their nation’s security. And I took a resolve that the country must have such a Memorial.
We decided to erect the National War Memorial and I am contented to see it attaining completion in so little a time. Tomorrow, that is on the 25th of February, crores of we Indians will dedicate this National Soldiers’ Memorial to our Armed Forces. On part of the nation, this will be a small step towards repaying a great debt.
This new memorial has been instituted in the heart of Delhi, in close vicinity of India Gate and Amar JawanJyoti. I do believe that for our countrymen a visit to the National War Memorial will be akin to a pilgrimage to a holy place. The National Soldiers’ Memorial is a symbol of the nation’s gratitude to those men who made the supreme sacrifice after we gained Independence. The Memorial’s design symbolises the indomitable courage of our immortal soldiers. The concept of the National Soldiers’ Memorial is based on the notion of four concentric circles, which depicts the journey of a soldier from coming into being, culminating in his martyrdom. The flame of the Amar Chakra symbolizes the immortality of the martyred soldier. The second circle, Veerta Chakra, depicts the courage and bravery of our soldiers. It is a gallery whose walls are inscribed with soldiers’ tales of valour. This is followed by the Tyag Chakra. This circle stands for the sacrifice of our soldiers. This bears the names of soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice, in letters of gold. Following that is the Rakshak Chakra which depicts the spirit of security. This circle houses a row of dense trees. These trees represent soldiers and send a reassuring message to the country’s citizens that our soldiers vigilantly guard borders round the clock and that they, the citizens are safe. If you take a holistic view, the National Soldiers’ Memorial is sure to turn out to be a sacred site, where people will throng, to get information on our great martyrs, to express their gratitude, to conduct further research on them. This place stands testimony to a series of sacrifices of men who laid down their lives for the sake of their country, so that we could live so that the country could be safe & secure, paving the way for development. One falls short of words in assessing the enormous contribution of our Armed Forces, Police and Para Military Forces in the strides of progress achieved by the country.
In the month of October last year, I was blessed with the opportunity to dedicate the National Police Memorial to the nation. That too echoed the same sentiment, and we believe that we should be ever grateful to those policemen & policewomen, who relentlessly ensure our safety & security. I do hope that you will pay a visit to the National Soldiers’ Memorial and the National Police Memorial. Whenever you are there, do capture images and share them on social media so that others get inspired to come & visit this sacred site with eagerness.
