V-P Dhankhar to inaugurate ‘Mann Ki Baat@100’ conclave

new delhi: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar will inaugurate the daylong ‘Mann Ki Baat@100’ conclave organised by Prasar Bharti on Wednesday to celebrate the 100th edition of the monthly radio address of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Home Minister Amit Shah will address the valedictory session of the conclave where a commemorative coin and postage stamp will also be unveiled in the presence of Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur and Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary.

The inaugural session will be followed up by four sessions highlighting the wide-ranging themes of the prime minister’s interactions during Mann Ki Baat to highlight the transformative impact the radio programme has had in the country. The four themes for deliberations at the conclave are “Nari Shakti” (women power), “Virasat Ka Uthhan” (taking pride in heritage), “Jan Samvad se Atmanirbharta” (self-reliance through conversations with people), and “Ahwahan se Andolan” (from clarion call to a revolution).

Actors Aamir Khan and Raveena Tandon, former Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi, music composer Ricky Kej, sportspersons Nikhat Zareen and Deepa Malik, storyteller Neelesh Misra, entrepreneurs Sanjeev Bhikchandani and TV Mohandas Pai, and persons who found a mention in various episodes of Mann ki Baat will participate in the sessions.

The vice president will also release a coffee table book on ‘Mann Ki Baat@100’ and another book, ‘Collective Spirit, Concrete Action’, authored by SS Vempati, former CEO of Prasar Bharati, documenting the facets of the prime minister’s ongoing conversations with the world’s largest democracy, said Information and Broadcasting Secretary Apurva Chandra.

Around 100 persons from across the country who were mentioned by the prime minister in various episodes of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ will attend the event, the I&B Secretary said, adding that the coffee table book will have the mention of scuba divers, who are imparting training in Visakhapatnam, going up to 100 metres from the coast and taking out the plastic waste. These guests will bring with them various unique memorabilia showcasing among others ancient Kaavi paintings from Goa, the Etikoppaka Wooden Toy Craft of Andhra Pradesh, Pattachitra paintings done on stone from Odisha and products made from fiber of banana stems by the self-help group in Lakhimpur Kheri in UP.