Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Chennai to attend the 56th convocation ceremony of the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, on Monday.
The PM, who was welcomed by BJP leaders H Raja and former MP Pon Radhakrishnan among others, addressed the gathered crowds at the Chennai airport.
Amongst loud chants of Jai Shri Ram, Modi recalled his speech at the United Nations made during his visit to the United States last week, where he referred to Tamil as an ancient language.
“When I was in the United States last week, I spoke in Tamil once and said that it was one of the ancient languages. Even today, Tamil language is echoing in America,” he remarked. The PM who was touring America last week where he made multiple references to the language diversity seen in India. He had also quoted ancient Tamil poet Kaniyan Pungundranar, while emphasising the importance of universal brotherhood.
The PM’s statements come after furore over the BJP and in particular Home Minister Amit Shah’s attempt to project Hindi as a unifying language and impose Hindi on non-Hindi speaking states.
‘I see the destiny of India in your eyes,’ PM Modi addresses IIT students
Addressing the graduating batch of students at IIT, he said “I can see the dreams of the future in your eyes and the destiny of India in your eyes.” Modi also asked the students to offer a standing ovation to the parents, teachers and supporting staff at IIT who ‘played a big part in their success.’
Referring to IIT as a prime example of how a decades old institution can transform to meet the needs and aspirations of the 21st century, Modi lauded the newly set up research centre and start up incubator in the campus.
“When I visited the the research park set up in the campus, I saw an extremely vibrant eco-system. I heard that the incubation centre houses at least 200 start up working on different ideas from IOT, AI, health care and more. All these start ups should create unique Indian brands which will make their place in the world market in the future,” he said. Addressing the students, he said that they were the ones who would make ‘brand India stronger’ and encouraged them to keep pursuing excellence.
Addressing bright young minds at @iitmadras convocation. Watch. https://t.co/Tsw37pT7de
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 30, 2019
The stage was also occupied by Tamil Nadu Chief Minster Edappadi K Palaniswamy, Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ and board members of IIT Madras.
Modi addresses Singapore- India joint Hackathon
The Prime Minister felicitated the winners and greeted the participants of the 2nd edition of the Singapore-India joint hackathon held at IIT M on Monday.
Here, he spoke about the role hackathons and participants would play in creating workable and cost-effective solutions to India’s and the world’s problems as well as for issues plaguing the poorest countries.
“The solutions found in today’s hackathons are the start up ideas for tomorrow. And these innovations and starts will play to turn India into a dollar 5 trillion economy,” he said.
Modi also said that India is among the top 3 start-up friendly eco systems in the world, thanks to its focus on innovation and start up incubation through schemes such as Atal Innovation mission, PM Research Fellowships, Start-up India Abhiyan and others.
Interacting with young innovators at the #SingaporeIndiaHackathon. Watch. https://t.co/NBuTlMymcL
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 30, 2019
The Singapore – India join hackathon was first held in 2018 at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. The second edition of the hackthon which saw participants from both countries was held at IIT Madras.
“We are encouraging Innovation and Incubation for two big reasons, One is – we want easy solutions to solve India’s problems, to make life easier. And another, we, in India want to find solutions for the whole world. Indian Solutions for Global Application – this is our goal and our commitment,” he added.
He concluded his speech by proposing a similar hackathon involving all Asian countries, with support from NTU, Government of Singapore and the Government of India.
The PM also used the opportunity to speak about Chennai and requested all participants to enjoy the city, the food. He also urged the foreign participants to visit the UNESCO monuments at Mahabalipuram, where he is scheduled to meet Chinese premier Xi Jinping for an informal summit in October.
Source: The News Minute