Nikhil Kamath podcast: Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath in his latest podcast asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi who he calls when he needs to share something significant. PM Modi made his podcast debut on Kamath’s ‘People by WTF’ show.
“Imagine you had an event in your life tomorrow that made you very happy, who would you call first?” Kamath asked the prime minister.
“I went to Lal Chowk in Srinagar to hoist the Tricolour. Earlier in Punjab, near Paghwara our yatra was attacked, shots were fired, several were injured, around 5-6 people were killed, and there was an ambience of tension across the country. It was challenging at that point to hoist the flag at Lal Chowk as the flag was often burned there. After hoisting the Tricolour, we came to Jammu. So, my first call from Jammu was to my mother. For me, it was a moment of joy, and I also thought that she must be worried that I have gone to such a place where there was a lot of gunfire. I remember that my first call was to my mother. Today I understand the significance of that call. I haven’t felt that way since,” he said.
Sharing his own experience after his father passed away, Kamath said that he felt a sense of guilt for not spending more time with him and prioritising work instead. He asked PM Modi if he too felt something similar after his mother passed away.
“You see, my life was very different. I had left my home in my childhood. Even my family had made peace with the fact that I didn’t belong there. I too had accepted that I was not made for family life. So, my life has been like that. So, there never was that kind of an attachment between any of us,” said PM Modi.
“However, when my mother turned 100, I went to take her blessings. Now at the age of 100, and my mother was not educated, she was not formally educated. I told her as I was leaving that I have to go for my work, and asked if she had anything for me. I was surprised at her answer. My mother, who had never been to school, said two sentences: Work with intelligence, live with purity. I have treasured her words since. It made me think that God must have given everything to my mother. If I had stayed with her, I would have learnt more of such things. So, I miss her,” said PM Modi, adding that his interaction with his mother was limited as he visited her twice or so every year.
He reminisced that his mother never really fell sick. And every time he visited she would say, “You must have a lot of work, leave soon”, he said.