AS MAN KI BAAT COMPLETES A CENTURY

 

Mann Ki Baat ( Inner Thoughts) is an Indian radio programme hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in which he addresses the people of the nation on All India Radio, DD National and DD News on the last Sunday of every month. Since the first show on 3 October 2014, come April 30, 2023 India awaits to hear the 100^th episode of Man Ki Baat. So, what is it that has made this programme such a hit with the masses?

At the very outset let me remind you about my take on this programme which I have brought out in a previous blog: https://surajitbrainwaves.blogspot.com/2021/03/man-ki-baat-new-discovery-of-india.html

I think this is Sri Narendra Modi’s Discovery of India which he is not writing alone in a solitary jail cell but the people of India are richly contributing to it since reacting to the very first episode. Both Discovery of India and Man ki baat are documenting the contemporary records of the time so that we can get a complete picture of India through the ages. History is visited and re-visited only to draw inspiration from and to create a new India of the future.

As television is not widely available in India yet, especially in isolated rural regions, the Prime Minister chose All India Radio (AIR) as the official medium to reach the largest section of the population. In 2015, in a very special episode, former US President Barack Obama was part of a special Mann Ki Baat show, while he was in India as the Chief Guest of our Republic Day Parade. The programme is being broadcast by more than 500 centres of the All India Radio. Apart from 22 Indian languages and 29 dialects, 'Mann Ki Baat' is broadcast in 11 foreign languages such as French, Chinese, Indonesian, Tibetan, Burmese, Baluchi, Arabic, Pashtu, Persian, Dari and Swahili.

 

A new survey

As the popular radio programme marches towards its century episode, Prasar Bharati, India's state-owned public broadcaster, a statutory autonomous body set up by an Act of Parliament and comprising of the Doordarshan Television Network and Akashvani All India Radio, set up a survey to study the popularity of Man Ki Baat. The Indian Institute of Management, Rohtak was entrusted with this arduous task.

The surveyors of IIM Rohtak reached out to 10,003 respondents in four zones - North, South, East and West - and across various age groups, with a majority of them being self-employed and those in the informal sector. Of the study sample 60% were males while 40% were females. This population was spread over 68 occupations sectors with 64% being from the informal and self-employed sector while students constituted 23% of the studied audience. The study distributed the audience across 3 platforms with 44.7% people tuning in to the programme on a TV while 37.6% accessing it on a mobile device and only 17.6% were radio listners.

 

Some mind boggling statistics

So, what did the survey show? It found that more than 100 crore (1 billion) people have listened to the programme at least once, while around 41 crore (410 million) were occasional listeners. The report further added that nearly 23 crore (230 million) people tune in to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Mann ki Baat' programme on the last Sunday of every month with 65 per cent listeners preferring to hear the talk in Hindi.

Viewing the programme is favoured over listening to it, as 62% of the respondents between the ages of 19 to 34 preferred watching it on a TV. 

 

Why is Man Ki Baat popular?

The report delves into the reasons behind the popularity of this radio broadcast and lists out the most liked characteristics that hook people to the broadcast. A powerful and decisive leadership that speaks to establish an emotional connect with the audience is cited as reason for the following of the programme. The Prime Minister has been credited by the population of the country as knowledgeable and having sympathetic and empathetic approach. Direct engagement with the citizens and guidance is also cited as a reason for the trust the programme enjoys. The survey concluded that Mann Ki Baat influenced behaviour of listeners with 60% interested in nation building and 73% felt that nation was going in the right direction and they were optimistic about the government's working and the country's progress, while 58% said their living conditions have improved. As many as 59% responders reported increased trust in the government and 63% respondents said their approach to the government has become positive.

The survey found that the most popular themes of the 'Mann ki Baat' programme were scientific achievements of India, stories of common citizens, gallantry of the armed forces, issues related to the youth, environment and natural resources.

Modi ji liberally quotes from all the languages spoken in India to make his point. Whether is is Kabeer or Tulsi, Gurudev Rabindranath or Subramania Bharatiyar, or today's Gulzar, when he has to make his point he liberally draws inspiration from them. While increasing the awareness of nutrition among students he quoted “Yatha Annam Tatha Mannam”, which means, mental and intellectual development is directly related to the quality of food intake. He also draws inspiration from Tribal history and mentions stories that were known to only few till they found a mention in Man Ki Baat. Thus freedom fighters like Birsa Munda, Karam Tammanna Dora, Alluri Seetha Ram Raju were all introduced to the present generation on Indians by Man Ki Baat.

A cultural renaissance of sorts is attempted by Modi ji when he talks of tribal fairs. Thus, Mahakumbh of Telangana, is celebrated in honour of two tribal women heroes - Samakka and Saralamma about whom the rest of India knew nothing! Maridamma fair in Andhra Pradesh, Siyawa ka Mela in Rajasthan, Mawli Mela of Narayanpur of Bastar in Chhattisgarh were all made popular by their mention in Man Ki Baat! Such old links of the society are vitally important to strengthen the spirit of Ek Bharat- Shreshtha Bharat. He asked the youth to visit these fairs and share the pictures on social media. Not only that, he informed that the Culture Ministry is going to start a competition where those who send the best pictures of the fairs will be rewarded.

Festivals of India, whether the hugely popular Diwali, Dussehrah, Holi, Eid and Christmas, or the lesser known ones in different states routinely find a mention in Man Ki Baat. He once said 'festivals further the spirit of love, affection and brotherhood in society and they carve a way for the journey from 'me' to 'we'.

The economic future of the people of the hinterland is intricately related to their skills but if these skills do not find patronage then both the art and the artisan suffers. The boost to both artisans and local art that this programme has provided, may it be the silk sari of Banaras, the carpet industry of Bhadoi, the brass ware industry of Moradabad or the toy industry of Koppal in Karnataka and the traditional Khadi is simply exemplary. His encouragement to breed Indian dogs - Mudhol hound and Himachal Hound, Rajapalayam, Kanni, Chippiparai and Combai was again an eye opener to dog lovers who run after foreign breeds.

The Prime Minister’s focus on the themes of Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) and his vocal for local campaign, his encouragement to start ups and obscure but outstanding achievers, his popularizing tribal art, craft and culture, his respect for forgotten freedom fighters from various tribes and states and his encouragement to indigenous industries all make Man Ki Baat so very popular with the masses. It gives them an opportunity to discover the new India.

 

Is the programme always liked and is it universally popular?

Most certainly not; nothing and nobody in India is above criticism. The liberals hate the Prime Minister’s direct outreach to his electorate in the hinterland and consider this to be an unfair advantage. People too are critical at times, when he sidesteps issues that are important to them. Over 500,000 dislikes were marked for the 68th episode on August 30, 2020 in BJP's YouTube channel for not addressing issues of JEE(Mains) postponement and NEET(UG) examinations. The video later became one of the most disliked videos with over 1.2 million thumbs down.

 

Who pays for Man KI Baat?

Since its beginning, the programme became a major source of revenue for All India Radio (AIR) as 10-second advertisement slots earned AIR Rs 200,000. The show commands much higher advertising rates than any other programme on AIR, including live commentary of the India-Pakistan world cup match, which is usually rated at Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000.

 

‘Mann Ki Baat’ has today become a wonderful medium for expression of public participation. As we approach the 100^th.episode the Prime Minister and his team of researchers deserve all credit to establish the bond of trust between his government and the electorate. The programme has helped to find the hidden gems of India who are today being honoured by the Padma Awards, the People’s Padmas!