India brought back over 200 idols since 2014: PM Modi in ‘Mann Ki Baat’

In the 86th episode of his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’, Prime Miner Narendra Modi highlighted how India has been able to successfully bring back over 200 idols since 2014. Countries like the US, Canada and Holland have helped India bring back some of its sculptures, the PM said.
“In the past, many idols were stolen from India and sold in other countries,” PM Modi said. “It is our responsibility to bring back these idols.”
Earlier this month, India was able to bring back a thousand-year-old statue of Avalokiteshvara Padmapani from Italy. “This idol was stolen a few years ago from Kundalpur temple, the deity place of Gaya ji in Bihar,” PM Modi explained.

Tune in to #MannKiBaat February 2022. https://t.co/ajpBQkPkyq
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 27, 2022
The prime miner went on to talk about Tanzanian siblings Kili and Neema, who have gained immense popularity on TikTok for their renditions of Indian songs. “They paid tribute to Lata Didi, sang our national anthem. I am grateful to them,” he said.
Noting that Mother Language Day was observed a few days ago, he stressed on the importance of learning and preserving Indian languages. “ Those who are learned people, they can give a lot of academic input about how the word mother tongue originated,” he said. “ Just as our mother shapes our lives, so our mother tongue also shapes our lives.”
“Even after 75 years of independence, some people are living in such mental conflict due to which they have hesitations about their language, their dress, their food and drink, whereas, nowhere else in the world it is like this,” PM Modi added. In 2019, Hindi was ranked among the spoken languages of the world.
In the last seven years, much attention has been paid to the promotion of Ayurveda in the country, PM Modi said, pointing out that the Ayush Start-up Challenge started earlier this month. “ The goal of this challenge is to identify and support the start-ups working in this field.”
He also highlighted the contributions women have made across fields. “Today, whether it is Skill India, Self Help Group, or small and big industries, women have taken the lead everywhere,” he said. ” In the army too, daughters are now playing responsibilities in new and bigger roles.”
PM Modi hailed Indian scients who have contributed greatly to the fight against coronavirus.
In last month’s episode, PM Modi hailed India’s fight against the Covid pandemic, calling it a “great success”. “India is very successfully fighting the new corona wave. It is a matter of great pride that almost 4.5 crore children have taken the corona vaccine till now. This means that almost 60 per cent of the youngsters in the age group 15-18 took the vaccine within just 3-4 weeks. This will not only protect our youth, but also help them continue their studies,” Modi said during this year’s first Mann Ki Baat episode.
Modi also referred to the installation of the hologram statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose at India Gate, and said the way people from across the country welcomed this and expressed their joy was “unforgettable”.