In Gujarat, most of the time Modi’s opponents(Congress and section of media) are not able to find out anything that they can oppose. When there’s nothing to oppose, Congress for the sack of it’s press releases and press conferences business(because nothing else to do)start digging out something bad from something actually good.

And following this tendency Arjun Modhwadia, who is a Congress spokes person opposed Narendra Modi’s decision to telecast his Teachers day address to all the schools in the state.

If there was any other Chief Minister, he could had organized a formal Teachers day function to award some teachers and to deliver a routine speech. Or he could had just garlanded Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan’s photo frame.

But this was Modi. His brigade started working hard to telecast his speech hiring Rs. 3 lakh slot on Doordarshan 11 channel. Every school in the state was ordered to manage a television set to telecast his speech at school level. Budget provision was sanctioned for schools from Gujarat Golden Jubilee celebration program fund. Noddle officers were appointed in each school to ensure the telecast. Municipal corporators were assigned responsibility for schools in their areas. Major public auditoriums were booked for telecast on bigger screens. Power cut schedules were altered in villages on telecast timing. Modi’s techno brigade ensured telecast of his speech online via web casting facility too. NRI Gujaratis in U.S. altered their schedule and rushed to watch live video streaming on government site Gujaratindia.Com or popular private site DeshGujarat.Com that had given a link to the telecast. Servers of such sites remained heftily busy due to overwhelming traffic.

The way Modi’s machinery organized Teachers day speech was remarkable and bit historical too, because rarely in India, combination of modern communication technologies and government infrastructure at ground level was used so well, so widely and so effectively by the state government to educate common people on issues like hygiene and cleanliness. Modi was like a teacher in a leader. Modi was like a preached in a leader. Modi was like a doctor in a leader. Modi was like a concern good uncle for children. Modi was like a guiding torch for the teachers in his speech.

Modi proved a highest TRP puller for DD-11. When his Live telecast was on, TRP reached to the highest level for DD-11 in Gujarat which otherwise is a sleepy channel full of low quality repeat telecasts and government red tap.

There is a popular European Mobile network’s video advertisement that features Gandhi as it’s main character. Advertisement shows how Gandhi’s message would have been reached to the more people by usage of technology if today’s technology would have existed in his time.

Modi’s speech was perfectly on this line. He used technology to deliver some needed messages to his people. Mostly on good education and good hygiene. Leaders’ tv telecasts is not a new thing at all. But new thing is how Modi managed and used ground infrastructure of schools through government system across Gujarat.

Modi started his speech by saying “Growth, investment and continuous industrial development have reached to an auto pilot stage in Gujarat. I want to spend my more time and attention towards uplifting of human index in Gujarat now onwards”.

Here are some talks and quotes from Modi’s speech at Teachers day function. One can only wonder why Congress should oppose telecast of this speech just for the sack of being an opposition party. Content of this speech itself reflects honest motives behind the whole exercise of live telecast to 1.5 crore Gujaratis.

“Keep nail cutter in kinder garden.”

“One teacher in our state cut her old saree in parts and created rough handkerchiefs out of it. Such handkerchiefs were tied using safety pin to children who were her students.A basket was put in the class room.Children could drop their handkerchiefs when going back from school.Next day when they would come back to the school, the would have to tie those handkerchiefs again on their top.”

“One teacher in our state distributed used empty plastic bottles and buckets to the children in school and told them to come to the school everyday with buckets full of wastage water from their homes. Using such water, a garden was created in the school.”

“In Gujarat’s tribal district ‘Dahod’ one teached collected donation from the people and put a mirror in the class room. Children started watching their reflections in mirror and they started to have self realization about their dirty outlook. They started to dress in a clean and proper manner then after.”

“Every month there should be a competition in school for healthy child and healthy girl child. Winner should be given a prize. There are Beauty contests organized all over the world and nowadays at city level too. Those who can afford such competitions can go along with it but we can at least afford health competitions for children in our schools. This would motivate children to keep themselves healthy and clean.We need to have a change. Let there be a competition among schools for cleanliness.”

“Cleanliness is a route to healthiness. For poor to poorest people, it is not difficult or costly to remain clean.”

“Mahatma Gandhi is ideal for us at every step in this direction. When Gandhi’s wife Kasturba was active in Bihar, Gandhiji told her to start a school in there but Kasturba couldn’t initiate this. After some days when Gandhiji asked her about why she had not yet started a school in Bihar, Kasturba replied that she was unable to start the school because of lack of skills in teaching and in Hindi language. Gandhiji asked Kasturba to start the school with lessons of cleanliness teaching. Gandhiji said that these were important lessons, other things could follow. Once when Gandhiji was traveling in a train, neighboring passenger was spitting again and again in the compartment. Gandhiji observed this for some time and at one stage he caught spited liquid in his own hands.”

“Gujarat government organized medical check up for 1.5 crore children. Well-known and experienced doctors contributed their honorary services to this people worthy government procedure. Annually 800 to 1000 children are treated with major operation costing 2 to 5 lakh each by state government.”

“Sometime when child’s progress is unusual, parents take it lightly and some time doctors too take it lightly but in today’s era state government system should be sensitized enough for each child to see whether he/she is normal of not.”

“In last three years 35,000 sanitation structures were built in schools across Gujarat. This was done like a movement.”

“Under ‘Balbhog’ scheme we have started to give children nutritious candy every day for better weight and health.”

“Tallest building can survive when it’s base is strong. Our base is our health.”

“Our mouth has 32 teethes. These are police officers that guard our health. We should keep them clean.”

“Recently I requested rural people of Gujarat to keep empty Cannes at milk collecting centres and dairies. Everyone can contribute some amount of milk filling a particular empty cane considering it as ‘a part for God’. Ultimately whatever milk collected can go to poor children of same village. Those poor children who are facing mal nutrition. Those who have not been enough fortunate to taste any other type of milk after they had their mother’s milk. I am happy that rural Gujarat has given good response to my call. People have started collecting and feeding the milk to poor children.”

“I recently requested people to donate nutritious food to pregnant ladies on public bases. I requested people in villages to make, contribute and collect ‘Sukhdi'(a sweet nutritious traditional food item) for pregnant ladies. I often give an example that we had a noble tradition to feed pregnant dog in our streets. This was our tradition. And how come we such people can tolerate deaths of ladies due to mal-nutrition in our society. How come we tolerate birth of a mentally retired child due to Mal nutrition of her mother when she was pregnant.”

“I ask people to start ‘Tithi Bhojan’. Whenever you have some anniversary or celebration in your family, go to the school and feed children there if you are capable. I want to make an atmosphere where each person of our society involve himself in good public activities.”

Video of this speech is available in Gujarati language here at this link.