PM Modi’s Independence Day speech: It is more important to reach when you preach

New Delhi: Every independence day it is customary for middle class families to sit around the television and watch the Prime Minister take the guard of our, unfurl the national flag and listen carefully to what he has to say to the nation. This being the maiden speech of the new Prime Minister, there was much interest in it.

He got off his car adorned in a red turban and took the guard of honor in text book style. The flag unfurled and fluttered in the wind when the national anthem played.

Soon he took to the podium and started his speech with a sterling statement saying, I am not here as the prime minister but as prime servant. This translation itself is pretty rough. It won the instant applause of the audience. Clearly his one-hour speech addressed issues of all the citizens spanning from toilets to labs, sports to business and from public to private partnerships. It was a populist address that was tailored to fit the occasion and delivered in homestyle.

The only limitation was that the entire speech was in Hindi, for most of us who watched it on the television it was like listening to a greek orator for the lack of subtitles.

Thanks to the media that picked up the vital points and translated and montaged it.

My message to fellow citizens…you can read it in your language http://t.co/xILXXjRy1D

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 15, 2014

The address, I am sure would have reached almost every home in the Hindi belt. It would have even reached the homes of the middle class non-Hindi speaking India who can catch a few words here and there.

Given that 2/3 of the population lives outside the belt is a cause for concern. As the message would have been not only translated but also interpreted in more than one way one can imagine. An example is the opening sentence, “ I am here as the Prime servant and not as the Prime Minister”. It sounds impressive at the same time rhetorical, Minister a word that comes from Latin that means servant. Hence the term Prime Minister automatically means Prime Servant, whereas, Prathan Manthri means something quite different.

While not getting into the semantics of it the very fact that the speech was delivered in Hindi looked like he stuck to his constituency of influence and to his linguistic comfort zone. Which, at this time may be strategic to say things in a language the masses understand, there is a compelling need to pay attention to those who do not understand the language as well.

An official translation of the speech in the regional languages would have helped in reaching out to the millions who matter. Just like those foreign delegates, possibly potential investors had the translations come on their headsets.

The citizens have a right to know what the Prime Minster has to say even if they do not speak Hindi. Hence if there is genuine interest to preach and win the hearts of all the Indians it is essential to ensure the message reaches.