'Spent my childhood in extreme poverty': PM Modi talks about learnings he got from sitting at his father's tea shop

Prime Minister Narendra Modi while talking to Lex Fridman shared that he spent his childhood in extreme poverty.

"I learnt a lot from people who came to my father's tea shop while I used to sit there; I applied those learnings in my public life," said PM Modi.

"Every morning, around 4:00 or 4:30 am, he would leave the house, walk long distances, visit several temples, and then reach his shop," PM Modi said.


He described how his father’s traditional leather shoes made a distinct tock, tock, tock sound as he walked through the village.

"People in the village used to say that they could tell the time just by hearing his footsteps—‘Oh yes, Mr. Damodar is on his way.’ Such was his discipline," he recalled.

Despite working tirelessly late into the night, PM Modi’s father and mother ensured their children never felt the weight of poverty.

"I feel fortunate that I learned the essence and values of life from such a sacred organisation like the RSS. I got a life of purpose," said PM Modi.

PM Modi said that the RSS assigns a purpose to its members, and said that the organisation puts the nation ahead of everything.

He further said, "It always felt nice to attend RSS gatherings as a child. I always had one aim in mind, to be of use to the country. This is what 'Sangh' (RSS) taught me. RSS completes 100 years this year. There is no bigger 'Swayamsevi Sangh' in the world than the RSS... Understanding the RSS is not an easy task; one needs to understand its functioning. It gives its members a purpose of life. It teaches that the nation is everything and that social service is the service of God."

"A volunteer is told that the inspiration he gains from RSS is not just about attending the one-hour session or wearing the uniform. What matters is what you do for society. And today, inspired by that spirit, many initiatives are thriving. Like some volunteers established an organization called Seva Bharati. This organization serves the slums and settlements where the poorest people live, which they call service communities. To my knowledge, they run approximately 125,000 service projects without any government assistance, solely through community support. They spend time there, teach the children, care for their health, instil good values and work towards improving cleanliness in these communities. Running 125,000 social service projects is no small feat," PM Modi added.

PM Modi also highlighted the social outreach efforts of the RSS and spoke about its social initiatives.

"Whatever our Vedic saints and Swami Vivekanand have taught, Sangh also teaches that... Some members of the RSS introduced an organisation called 'Vidya Bharti' to bring about a revolution in education. They run 70000 schools across the country, 30 lakh students attend the schools at a time...," PM Modi said.

PM Modi said he was fortunate enough to spend time among saints which gave him a spiritual foundation.