Karthumbhi umbrellas, Araku coffee, snow peas find mention in Modi’s Mann ki Baat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi resumed his monthly radio programme, “Mann ki Baat”, on Sunday with its 111th episode after the show went on hiatus due to the general elections. The last episode was aired on February 25. In Sunday’s episode, he thanked Indians for “reiterating their unwavering faith” in the Indian Constitution and congratulated the Election Commission for conducting the elections.

“Today I also thank the countrymen for having reiterated their unwavering faith in our Constitution and the democratic systems of the country. The 2024 elections were the biggest elections in the world. An election as big as this, in which 65 crore people cast their votes, has never taken place in any other country in the world. For this, I congratulate the Election Commission and everyone involved in the voting process,” Modi said.

As examples of Indian products making their mark globally, Modi mentioned three products from different parts of the country --- Karthumbhi umbrellas from Attappady, Kerala; Araku coffee of Alluri Sita Rama Raju district, Andhra Pradesh; and snow peas of Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir.

Karathumbhi umbrellas, he said, are made by tribal women in Kerala under the supervision of the Vattalakki Cooperative Farming Society. These umbrellas are already sold online. The VCFS has established a bamboo handicraft unit and is planning to open a retail outlet and a traditional café, he said.

Modi said that about 150,000 tribal families are involved in cultivating Araku coffee. “Girijan cooperative has played a very important role in taking Araku coffee to new heights. … The Konda Dora tribal community has also benefited a lot from this. Along with income, they are also getting a life of dignity. I remember once I got a chance to taste this coffee in Visakhapatnam with the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu Garu. And its taste! This coffee is amazing!” he said and mentioned that the coffee was a “hit” at the G20 summit in Delhi.

The first consignment of snow peas was sent from Pulwama to London in May, Modi said. “Abdul Rashid Mir of Chakura village was the first to come forward for this,” he said.

Modi also encouraged citizens to plant a tree either with or in honour of their mothers.

Modi also talked about how Hool Diwas is celebrated on June 30. “Bravehearts Sidhu and Kanhu united thousands of Santhal compatriots and fought the British with all their might. … in 1855. Then, in Santhal Pargana of Jharkhand, our tribal brothers and sisters took up arms against the foreign rulers,” he narrated as he played a Santhali song dedicated to Sidhu Murmu and Kanhu Murmu.

Modi wished Indian athletes the best for Paris Olympics which will be held from July 26 to August 11.

Modi congratulated the All India Radio on the completion of 50 years of the broadcast of its Sanskrit bulletin on June 30. He mentioned how Samashti Gubbi had started a Sanskrit Weekend in Bengaluru’s Cubbon Park where people talked and debated in Sanskrit.

Modi thanked the government of Kuwait for starting a weekly 30-minute radio show in Hindi on their national radio which caters to Indian diaspora in the country. He also mentioned that the president of Turkmenistan, while celebrating the 300th birth anniversary of the country’s national poet, Magtymguly Pyragy, unveiled statues of 24 famous poets from around the world, including Rabindranath Tagore’s.

Modi said that Indian diaspora in Suriname celebrated the Indian Arrival Day and Pravasi Din on June 5 by the Indian diaspora while people of Indian origin in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, about six thousand in number, celebrated Indian Heritage Day on June 1.

The 10th Yoga Day was celebrated on June 21. Modi said that for the first time in Saudi Arabia, the common yoga protocol was led by a woman, Al Hanouf Saad.