Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared his personal journey and the wishes he fulfilled after becoming the Chief Minister of Gujarat. In an interview with Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath, Modi reflected on the milestones that shaped his life.
Modi spoke about his first wish after becoming CM, which was to invite his school friends to his residence. "One wish I had was to call my school friends. The psychology behind it was that I did not want anyone to think that I have become arrogant. I wanted to show them that despite my position, I was still the same person who left the village years ago," he said.
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He said he wanted to relive that moment, and the only way he saw it happening was by being among them. "But that didn’t happen because the gap had been so long that I couldn’t even recognize my friends. Some had grey hair, and their children had grown up. But I called everyone, and we had a good time reminiscing about the old days. However, I didn’t enjoy it because I was looking for a friend, but they saw me as the Chief Minister. So, that gap could never be bridged," PM Modi said.
The second wish, which he said might seem unusual to many, was to honour his felicitate publicly. Modi shared how he tracked down all the teachers who had taught him and organised a public felicitation for them at the Chief Minister's residence. The Governor of Gujarat and several other dignitaries attended the event. Modi conveyed that the event was significant as he wanted to acknowledge the role his teachers played in shaping who he is today. He said that among the attendees was a teacher who was 93 years old.
The third wish Modi fulfilled was reconnecting with his family, whom he had not seen in years. "One day, I invited my family to the Chief Minister’s residence. I did not recognise many of them. I wanted to know who they had become and where they had been," he shared.
Modi also recalled the families who had provided him food and shelter during his early days in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He invited them to the CM residence to express his gratitude.
Reflecting on his 25 years in public life, Modi said that these four wishes were the most significant things he had done. He added, "I invited my school friends, honoured my teachers, connected with my family, and thanked the families who helped me during my early days."