#460 – Narendra Modi: Prime Minister of India – Power, Democracy, War & Peace
Episode publishedPodcast: Lex Fridman PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
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The following is a conversation with Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India. It was one of the most moving conversations and experiences of my life. Allow me here to say a few words about it. Please skip ahead straight to our conversation if you like. Narendra Modi's life story is incredible. He rose from poverty to lead a nation of 1,400,000,000 people, the biggest democracy in the world, where he won epic scale elections for prime minister three times. As a leader, he fought for ideas that unite his nation of India, a nation that is composed of a large number of highly varied and dispara
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First of all, I'm truly pleasantly surprised and honored that you're fasting. All the more because it feels like you're fasting as a tribute of respect for me. So I express my deepest gratitude to you for doing this. In India, our religious traditions are actually a way of life. Our supreme court once gave a brilliant interpretation of Hinduism. They have stated that Hinduism is not about rituals or methods of worship, but rather it's a way of living, a philosophy that guides life itself. And in our scriptures, there is deep discussion on elevating the body, mind, intellect, soul, and humanity
So you still do meetings with world leaders. You still manage the affairs of India. You still carry out your role as a leader on the world stage, all fasted, and sometimes nine days?
Well, this practice has a long historical context. I hope it may be interesting for those listening. There is an ancient tradition in India called Shaturmas. During the monsoon season, we know that the digestion tends to slow down. And so in this season, many people in India follow the practice of eating only a single meal within twenty four hours. For me, this starts around mid June and goes on until after Diwali around November. For about four to four and a half months, I follow this tradition of eating only once in twenty four hours. Then comes the Navratri Festival in India, which usually
there been times when you met with a world leader and, completely fasted? And maybe what do they think about that? What do they think about your ability to do that kind of thing? And and you're right. I should mention that, from even my two days, my ability to be present, my ability to sense everything, sharply focus on this experience is elevated. But, yes, is there stories with the world leader that maybe jumped to mind when you were fasted? Well,
most of the time, I don't even let people know about it. It's my personal matter. So I never publicized it, but people gradually started finding out. It became known only after I became chief minister and prime minister. Otherwise, it was purely personal. But now that it's out in the open, I don't mind sharing. If someone asks, I tell them so it might be useful to them because it's not my personal property. It's my experience. And if that can help someone, why not share it? After all, my life has always been devoted to the well-being of others. F
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