Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, while addressing 'Mann Ki Baat', said that he regrets not being able to put in enough efforts to learn Tamil.
During his monthly radio programme 'Mann ki Baat', PM Modi termed the world's oldest language, Tamil, as beautiful and popular. The Prime Minister said in the run-up to Mann Ki Baat he was asked if there was something he missed out on during these long years as Chief Minister and Prime Minister.
"In run up to Mann Ki Baat, I was asked if there was something I missed out on during these long years as chief minister and prime minister. I thought about the question and felt that - it is a regret of sorts that I could not learn the world's oldest language, Tamil. It is a beautiful language and popular across the world. Many people told me about the qualities of Tamil literature and the depths of Tamil poetry," PM Modi said.
PM Modi's comments come two days after Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the dates for Tamil Nadu assembly election. Tamil Nadu assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 6 and the counting of votes will be done on May 2, the ECI announced on Friday.
PM Modi on Sunday also said the Centre's Jal Shakti Ministry is about to launch a 100-day campaign called 'Catch the Rain' to promote water conservation in the country.
The Prime Minister made the statement while addressing this year's second 'Mann Ki Baat' radio programme.
The Prime Minister said water is a collective gift of nature to humankind, and it is the collective responsibility of everyone to conserve the essential natural resource. He said that water has been crucial for the development of humankind for centuries.
"This is the best time to think about water conservation in the summer months ahead... Yesterday was the festival of Magha Purnima. The month of Magh is associated with rivers, lakes, and water bodies...Water is life for us, it is also faith and it is also a stream of development. Water is more important than 'Paras' in a way. It is said that by the touch of 'Paras', iron can be converted into gold. In the same way, the touch of water is necessary for life," the Prime Minister said.
(With inputs from Agencies)
