First of all, many congratulations to all of you for winning the 'Prime Minister's Rashtriya Bal Puraskar'. Your eagerness may have intensified since you found out that you have been selected for this award. Your parents, friends, teachers, all of them would be as excited as you are. Like you, I was also eager to meet you, but due to Corona we are having a virtual meeting.

Dear children,

The award that you received for the work which you have done is also special because you have done all these things during the Corona period. Your works, even at such a young age, are very surprising. Somebody is glorifying the country in the field of sports, or somebody is doing research and innovation from now on. The practice of enhancing India’s pride will be seen when somebody from you will become a player, scientist, political leader or CEO in the future. The video film that was shown here discussed in detail all your achievements. I got to know and have heard about some children. Take for example, Mumbai’s daughter KamyaKarthikeyan. You may remember that I had mentioned about her once in ‘Mann kiBaat’ programme. Kamya has received the award for glorifying the country in the field of mountaineering. Let us talk to Kamya first. I want to ask her something.

Question:Kamya, I don't think you were sitting idle in the recent past, must be doing something. So what new mountain have you conquered? What have you done these days? Or did you face some problem due to Corona?

Answer: Sir, Corona has given some problems to the entire country. But, as you said, we cannot sit like that. We have to come out strongly after Corona. So I've continued my training and the whole routine during the Corona and we're currently training in Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir, for my next climb which is Mount Denali in North America in June this year.

Question: So, are you in Baramulla now? 

Answer:Yes Sir. Thankfully, the office has helped us a lot, and they have also worked 24x7 for the last three days. And we were able to come here in Baramulla and meet you.

Question: Who else are with you? Introduce them.

Answer: Sir, my parents.

Father:Namaskar.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi:  Congratulations to you. You encouraged your daughter and also helped her. I salute especially these parents.

Question:  The biggest award is your hard work and your morale for you. You climb mountains, trek and tour the whole world. How did you spend the year, what did you do when everything was shut down due to Corona?

Answer: Sir, I saw an opportunity in Corona, though….

Question: Means, you also turned adversity into opportunity?

Answer: Yes, Sir.

Question: Explain.

Answer: Sir, I can’t climb the mountain now, but I thought that I could inspire others during this time. So I am hosting webinars in a lot of schools and institutions and I am also talking about my mission and I also want to spread the message. 

Question: But, you also have to do something for physical fitness?

Answer:Yes Sir. Usually, we used to go for running and cycling, but it was not allowed when the lockdown was imposed for the first time. So, we used to climb the stairs of our 21-storey building in Mumbai for fitness. After there was some relaxation in lockdown, we shifted to Mumbai thankfully, so we used to go to Sahyadri for small tracks during weekends.

Question: You must not be aware of winters in Mumbai. It is very cold in Baramulla.

Answer:Yes Sir.

Hon’ble PM’s comment:  See, Corona has definitely affected everybody. But one thing I have noted is that the children of the country, the future generation of the country, have played a big role in combating this epidemic. The children first took to washing hands with soap for 20 seconds. And then I saw a number of videos on social media in which children used to tell about the remedies. Today, every such child has received this award. In a family and a society where there is a culture of learning from children, there is, no doubt, a lot of development of children's personality and also there is no stagnation in adults, and they also have the desire to learn, their enthusiasm persists. And adults also exclaim that “If our child has said, we will definitely do it”. This we have seen during Corona as well during the Swachh Bharat Mission also. When children are connected to a cause, it is always successful. Kamya, I congratulate you, your parents, your trainers and everyone. I convey my best wishes.  And you also enjoy Kashmir and go ahead in your mission with new courage.  Take care of your health, your fitness, and reach new heights. Climb the new peaks. Dear children, we have a daughter from Jharkhand today, Savita Kumari. She has received the award for her outstanding performance in sports.

Question: Savita ji, how did you develop interest in archery or shooting?  Where did this idea come from and you would have got support from your family? So, I want to listen from you so that the children of the country can know what act of bravery one of our daughters in the far-flung jungles of Jharkhand is doing?  It will inspire the children of the country. Tell me.

Answer: Sir, I used to study in Kasturba Gandhi Girls School and I got the inspiration to learn archery from there.

Question: You have started bringing medals for the country. The country’s best wishes are with you. What are your future plans and goals? How far do you want to go?

Answer: Sir, I have to win an international gold medal because I feel good when the national anthem is played. 

Question:Great! Who else are with you?

Answer: My parents are here.

Question: Ok. Did they ever play? Did your father ever take part in sports?

Answer: No Sir.

Question: Ok, so you started first?

Answer:Yes Sir.

Question:  So, your parents are not worried when you have to go out.

Answer: Sir, our coach accompanies us.

Question: Ok.

Hon’ble PM’s comment: May you go to the Olympics and bring a gold medal. Your dream really inspires every child of India to nourish new dreams. My best wishes are always with you. The entire country is proud of the talent of Jharkhand in the world of sports. I have seen that the daughters of Jharkhand are very amazing and how they are creating their names in sports. When talent like you sprouts from small villages and cities, it illuminates the country's name all over the world. Savita, you have a lot of my blessings. Go a long way.

Answer: Thank you, Sir.

PM Modi: Well, friends, this time the diversity in the National Children's Awards is a very good thing. From archery, we will now go into the world of art. Our daughter from Manipur, KumariNaveeshKeesham, has received the award today for her splendid paintings.

Question: Tell me Naveesh, we want to hear from you. You draw very good paintings. There is so much energy in colours. And, the North-East is very colourful in itself.  If those colours are embellished, it is like giving a life. I am told that you mostly make paintings on the environment and greenery. And why does this topic attract you so much?

Answer:  First of all, good afternoon Sir. It’s truly an honour to have to personally interact with you and first my name is VaneeshKeeshamand I love paintings based on the environment because nowadays our environment is getting dirtier day by day. So there is a lot of pollution even in Imphal, so a lot of pollution is there. So I want to change it by planting more trees and saving our environment, our plants and animals. Our wildest places … I want to save them. So in order to spread this message to the people … as an artist I do this.

Question: Do you also have anybody in your family who draws paintings? Your father, mother, brother, uncle, or somebody else!

Answer: No Sir. My father is a businessman and my mom is a homemaker and I am the only artist.

Question: Are your parents with you?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Do they scold you “why do you draw the paintings all day? Why don’t you study, why don’t you cook, why don’t you do some household chores?” Do they scold you like this?

Answer:  No Sir, they support me a lot.

Question: Then, you are very lucky. Well, you are so young, but your ideas are very big. Well, apart from painting, what are your other hobbies?

Answer: Sir, I love to sing, I love singing and I love to do gardening also.

Hon’ble PM’s comment: 

Naveesh, I have come to Manipur several times. And the nature there attracts me a lot, this has been my experience. And, there is a kind of reverence among the people regarding nature, and everyone in the entire north-east lives up to protect nature. It is also seen in Manipur. I believe this reflects great culture.

Question: Ok, You sing also, as you said. Will you sing something?

Answer:  Yes sir, I mean like I am not a professional singer but I love to, so this is our folk song.

Answer: Excellent. I also congratulate your parents and I believe that you must do something in music also. You have a powerful voice. Though I am not aware of classical singing, I felt good. It was very good to hear. So you should work hard on it also. I have a lot of blessings to you.

Friends,

The children of our country are living their lives with so much talent, the more they are appreciated, the less it would be. On the one hand, we have Naveesh who draws fantastic paintings; there is Rakesh Krishna from Karnataka. Rakesh has received the national award for innovation related to farming. Rakesh, I congratulate you very much. And I would definitely like to talk to you.

Question: Rakesh, when I was going through your profile, I liked it very much. You are doing innovation at such a young age, that too, you are thinking for our farmers. You are a student of science, so research and innovation is natural. But innovation for the farmers is not a trivial thing. So I would definitely like to hear how did you develop interest in this work?

Answer: Sir, first of all, Namaskar. Sir, I always had interest in science and innovation, but my father is a farmer and I belong to a farmer’s family. Here are my father and mother. I observed there were many problems in the existing farming practices, so I had to do something. Therefore, I wanted to contribute something for our farmers. Sir, I have made a mission to develop a technology innovation for them. The machines developed by me are 50 percent more profitable than the existing tools.

Question: Have you tried it in fields with your father?

Answer:Yes Sir, I have experimented. Sir, My machine consumes 10-15 percent less time. The tests show that my machine is more profitable and it gives better germination rate. The rate of skilled labour required in farming has sky-rocketed and we don’t get skilled labour. Therefore, I have developed a multi-purpose machine so that one farmer can do so many things at the same time. It also saves money and time.

Question: Ok, when you developed it and it found mention in newspapers and people came to know about it. Did manufacturers, or business companies or Start-ups contact you to produce it at a large scale? Did something like this happen?

Answer:Yes Sir. Two-three companies have made the enquiries and they also visited me when I was participating in the Festival of Innovation at RashtrapatiBhavan. But, my prototype has not been fully developed. I am still working on it and want to make it a better version.

Question: Ok, are your teachers taking interest in it and helping you or some scientist or somebody from the world? Does anybody contact you online? 

Answer:Yes Sir. My teachers at high school and lecturers at pre-university college are guiding and motivating me. Every step of my journey has been motivated by my hardworking parents and teachers, Sir. What I am today is because of them and I have come up to this level because of their inspiration.

Answer: I congratulate your parents that they have done farming wholeheartedly and have also connected their son with the farming. The son’s talent is being used in farming. So, you deserve double the accolades.

Hon’ble PM’s comment:

Rakesh, modern agriculture is the need of our country today. And it was nice to see that you are not only understanding it at such a young age, but also trying to connect it with technology to modernize agriculture. May you continue to succeed, you have a lot of good wishes from me and I also thank your parents that they have inspired their son for the work that is going to be helpful to the farmers of the country. Let us now go to UP. Let’s talk to Mohammad Shadab, who is a resident of Aligarh in UP. As mentioned here, Mohammad Shadab has made India famous in the US.

Question:Shadab, you are working as a young ambassador in the US. You have gone to the US from Aligarh after securing a scholarship. You have won several awards and are also working for women empowerment. From where do you get inspiration to do so much?

Answer:Namaskar, hon’ble Prime Minister. First of all, I would like to tell you that I am 11^th standard student of Aligarh Muslim University and I get inspiration to do so much from my parents and teachers of Aligarh Muslim University. As we all know that Aligarh Muslim University has given several great personalities to the world. I also want to brighten the name of Aligarh Muslim University and do something for the country.

Question: Did your parents also do something similar or you are the one only?

Answer: No, but my parents have always supported me from the beginning. My parents say that since Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam gave the missiles to the country, therefore, our country is not dependent on anybody. My parents also exhort me to do something for the country so that the country remembers me for years.

Question:  See, you already are creating a name for India. What have you thought for the future, there must be something in your mind to do big?

Answer:Yes Sir. I have a dream to become an IAS officer and serve my society. And I don’t want to pause here. In future, I want to work on human rights at the United Nations. This is my dream to unfurl the flag of my country at the United Nations and make a name for my country.

Hon’ble PM’s comment:

Bravo! It is a great responsibility on the youth of our country to spread India’s fame and strengthen India’s identity. And Shadab, I have all my best wishes to you. You have a lot of clarity in your mind and your parents in your family have infused this dream in your mind to be a hero like Kalamji since your childhood and I also congratulate your parents for showing you the right path. You have been taught how to be a hero and what should be your ideals since childhood which has made your life. And you have lived up to the mantra of your parents. So, I congratulate you very much and wish you all the best.

Let’s now go to Gujarat. Let’s talk to Mantra JitendraHarkhani from Gujarat. Mantra Jitendra has got the national award for his splendid performance in the world of sports in swimming.

Question: Mantra, how are you? All fine! Who else are with you?

Answer: My parents are with me.

Question: Tell me Mantra, people from all over the country are watching you today. You have made the country proud with such great courage. See, when I was in my childhood, we had a big pond in my village Vadnagar. So all of us used to swim there. But there is a very big difference between that swimming and the one that you do. There is a lot of training and a lot of effort has to be put into it. You have become an inspiration as you are creating records in swimming. You are an athlete and athletes are very focused towards their goals. I would like to know what your goals are. What do you want to do? How do you want to proceed? Tell me.

Answer: Good morning, Sir.

PM: Good morning.

Answer:  I want to become the world’s best swimmer and I want to become like you and serve the country.

Question: See, you have such a big dream in your mind, I am sure that your parents who are investing so much in you with complete dedication, you have become the dream of their lives, you have become the mantra of their lives. And the efforts that you are putting in, not only you but your parents are also inspiration for the parents of other children. Therefore, I congratulate you very much. You are talking with great enthusiasm. This is a great thing in itself. I congratulate you very much. And I was told by somebody that your coach had promised you that he would ensure your meeting with me. Why did you not quarrel with your coach that he has not yet introduced you to me?

Answer: You come over here, I will offer you tea.

Question: When I come to Gujarat next time, will you come to meet me?

Answer: Sure.

Question: You will have to come with Rajkot’s Gathiyanamkeen. What he is saying?

Answer: Sir, he is saying that when you will come, he will bring jalebi, gathiya, everything. If you want, he will also offer you tea.

Hon’ble PM’s comment:

Many many congratulations to all of you. All of you said very good things! Dear children, this conversation and the award that you all received, make it clear that when a small idea connects with a right action, it leads to impressive results. What a great example all of you are. Your achievements today must have started with an idea. For example, Souhardya De in West Bengal! He writes about mythology and the glorious history of the country. When it first came to their mind that he had to move in this direction and write, he did not just sit idle after glossing over it. He took the right action, started writing, and today we are seeing the result. Similarly, there is TanujSamdar from Assam, JyotiKumari from Bihar, KameshwarJagannathWaghmare from Maharashtra, who saved the lives of two children, AyushRanjan from Sikkim, daughter Namya Joshi from Punjab. The talent of every child is going to glorify the country. I wish I could speak to all of you. You are a very beautiful expression of Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat. But it is not possible due to paucity of time.

Friends,

There is a very good shloka in Sanskrit and when we were young, our teacher used to tell us again and again and he used to say:  “उद्यमेन हि सिध्यन्ति कार्याणि न मनोरथै:”That is any work is accomplished through enterprise and hard work and not just by imagining. When an idea connects with an action, so many more actions are also generated, as your success has inspired so many more people. Your friends, your companions and other children in the country watching you on TV, reading about you in newspapers, will also draw inspiration from you, take new resolutions and do their best to accomplish them. Similarly, they will inspire many others. This cycle grows like that. But dear children, one thing I would like to tell you, always remember that this award is a small milestone of your life, you don't have to be lost in the glory of this success. When you go from here, people will applaud you. Your names will also be published in the newspapers, you will also be interviewed. But, you have to keep in mind that these accolades are due to your actions and your commitment. If you cease in your action, or you disconnect from it, the same accolades can become impediment for you. You have to achieve even greater successes in life. And I would like to give you one more suggestion. You must be reading something. But whatever you like, you must read a biography every year. It can be of a scientist, a player, a big farmer. Decide to read a biography of a great philosopher or a writer, whoever you have in your mind, once a year. At least one biography! You see, there will be new motivation in life.

My young friends,

I would like you to give importance to all these things, but I want to add three more things.

First, the resolution for continuity!

That means the pace of your work should never stop, should never slow down. Whenever a task is completed, there should be a new thinking ahead of it.

Second, the resolution for the country!

Whatever you do, it should not just be for you. This thought my work, work for me, limits our scope. When you work for the country, your work will grow much bigger instinctively. You will feel many people are doing something for your work. Your thinking will change. This year our country is heralding 75 years of independence. All of you think what to do so that the country moves forward further.

And third, resolution for humility!

You should resolve to be more humble with every success. Because if you have humility, hundreds and thousands more people will also celebrate your success together with you. Your success will grow automatically. So should I believe that you will remember these three resolutions? I am sure you will remember them because you are very much focused and will never forget. And I know you will neither forget, nor will you allow others to forget, and you will do even bigger things in future. May you realize your future dreams and all the youth and children take the country forward with these achievements! With these wishes, I congratulate and convey my best wishes to all your family members and teachers and lots of blessings to all of you children.

Many many thanks!

DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.

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DS/AKJ/VK/AK