Modi Calls India Unstoppable in Mann Ki Baat 134, Unless You're a NEET Aspirant

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday addressed the nation in the 134th episode of his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat , delivering a wide-ranging address that celebrated India's athletic resurgence, the return of stolen cultural heritage, summer health, grassroots environmental heroes, astronomy, and the quiet acts of service shaping the country from the ground up.

India's Fastest Men: A Sprint Rivalry for the Ages

The Prime Minister opened with a tribute to India's sprinters, calling two athletes live on air who have set the athletics world talking. At the National Senior Federation Competition in Ranchi, Gurindervir Singh became the first Indian to run the 100 metres in under 10.10 seconds, clocking 10.09 seconds, the second fastest time by an Asian this season. The drama began in the semifinals, where Gurindervir first broke Animesh Kujur's national record of 10.18 seconds with a 10.17, only for Animesh to fire back minutes later with a 10.15 in the very next heat. Gurindervir then settled it in the final with his historic 10.09, with Animesh finishing second in 10.20.

Both athletes spoke candidly with the Prime Minister. Gurindervir, a Petty Officer in the Indian Navy, recalled cleaning his father's trophies as a child and silencing those who said "Indians are not built for the 100 metres." Animesh, from Chhattisgarh, only took up athletics in 2021 after pivoting from football, and credited his family's unshakeable belief. Both have qualified for the 2026 Commonwealth Games. The meet also produced records from Tejaswin Shankar, who became the first Indian to breach the 8,000-point mark in the decathlon with 8,057 points, and Vishal TK, who became the first Indian to dip under 45 seconds in the 400 metres with a 44.98.

The Return of the Chola Plates: A Civilisational Homecoming

Modi spoke with visible pride about the repatriation of 11th-century Chola-era copper plates from the Netherlands after more than 300 years, in a ceremony attended by Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten. The 24 plates, 21 large and 3 small, relate to King Rajendra Chola I formalising his father Rajaraja Chola's grant of the village of Anaimangalam to a Buddhist monastery. The inscriptions illuminate the Chola dynasty's maritime power, religious harmony, and deep ties with Southeast Asia. Leiden University also handed over archival records alongside the artefacts. Modi also mentioned a complementary discovery under the Gyan Bharatam Abhiyan, three copper plates from Malhar, Chhattisgarh, believed to be from the Panduvanshi dynasty, written in Brahmi script and Pali, dating back nearly 1,500 years.

Beat the Heat, Savour the Season

With India in the grip of summer, Modi urged citizens to stay hydrated and follow government health advisories. He then celebrated India's traditional answer to the heat, regional drinks like Aam Panna, lassi, buttermilk, Sattu sherbet, Sol Kadhi, Neer Mor, and Bael Pana, calling them a living expression of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat . He also paid warm tribute to India's mango farmers, saluting the country's extraordinary regional varieties, from Alphonso and Kesar to Langra, Dussehri, Himsagar, and Banganapalli, now reaching global markets.

Dolphins, Rivers, and Citizens Who Care

Modi highlighted India's first Ganga dolphin rescue ambulance, deployed under the Namami Gange Abhiyan, which worked for 13 hours to save a Gangetic dolphin trapped in a canal in Uttar Pradesh before releasing it safely into the Rapti River. He also spotlighted Akash Gupta of Basti, who cleaned the Manorama River with friends by hauling out up to 50-60 kilograms of garbage daily, and Balkrishna Aiya, a retired teacher from Goa who led the laying of water pipelines that brought relief to water-starved households in the Maddi-Tolap area.

Astronomy, Swimming, and Service

The Prime Minister encouraged youth to join India's booming astronomy clubs and visit planetariums. He spoke of Saji Valasheril in Aluva, Kerala, who has taught over 15,000 people, including children with disabilities, to swim, a mission born from the grief of a fatal boat accident. He closed with a tribute to Girija Amma of Nagercoil, whose students donated one rupee a day for Indian soldiers, raising nearly ₹40 lakh handed personally to the Prime Minister.

The Silence That Spoke Loudest

For 45 minutes, the Prime Minister spoke about sprinters, dolphins, copper plates, mangoes, and swimming lessons. It was, by design, an uplifting address, and on its own terms, genuinely so. But for millions of students and parents across India, one subject was conspicuous entirely by its absence. The NEET controversy, which has seen allegations of paper leaks, examination irregularities, and systemic failures in the country's most critical medical entrance exam, continues to cast a long shadow over India's education system and the futures of hundreds of thousands of young aspirants. Not a word was said. Not an acknowledgement, not a reassurance, not even a passing reference to the crisis that has shaken public faith in the examination system.

Mann Ki Baat has always been Modi's platform to speak to the nation on his own terms, celebrating what he chooses to celebrate. That is his prerogative. But when a programme devoted to the youth of India, their dreams, their determination, their service to the nation, finds room for astronomy clubs and mango varieties yet none for a scandal that has derailed the dreams of lakhs of young Indians, the silence itself becomes a statement.

India may be running. But not everyone has been given a fair track to run on.