Modi: 2025 Gave India Many Proud Moments

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that 2025 gave India several proud moments, from national security and sports to science, culture, and heritage, leaving a strong global imprint.

Addressing the nation in his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, the Prime Minister said, "'Operation Sindoor’ became a symbol of pride for every Indian. The world clearly saw that today's India does not compromise on its security. During ‘Operation Sindoor’, images of love and devotion towards Maa Bharati emerged from every corner of the country. People expressed their feelings in their own unique ways. The same spirit was also visible when 'Vande Mataram' completed 150 years.”

Calling 2025 a memorable year for sports, Modi said India’s men’s cricket team won the ICC Champions Trophy, while the women’s team lifted the World Cup for the first time. He also highlighted India’s success in the Women’s Blind T20 World Cup and achievements in the Asia Cup T20. Para-athletes, he added, proved their determination by winning several medals at world championships

The Prime Minister said India made a major leap in science and space when astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla became the first Indian to reach the International Space Station. He also noted progress in environmental conservation, stating that the cheetah population in the country has crossed 30

He said, “In 2025, faith, culture, and India's unique heritage all came together. The Prayagraj Mahakumbh organised at the beginning of the year astonished the entire world. At the end of the year, the Dhwajarohan ceremony at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya filled every Indian with pride.”

“Today, we can proudly say that 2025 has given India even greater confidence. It is also true that this year we had to face natural disasters, at very many places. Now, the country is ready to move forward in 2026 with new hopes and new resolutions,” Modi said.

Highlighting the role of youth, the Prime Minister said India’s achievements in innovation and technology have impressed the world, largely due to its youth power. He announced that National Youth Day would be observed on January 12, marking Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary, along with a Young Leaders Dialogue. He also spoke about the Smart India Hackathon 2025, noting that students worked on over 270 real-life problems posed by more than 80 government departments, with participation from over 13 lakh students across thousands of institutions

Modi pointed out that a few days ago, the fourth 'Kashi Tamil Sangamam' was held in his parliamentary constituency, Varanasi, and played an audio clip in which children of the city spoke fluently in Tamil.

"Their mother tongue is Hindi, but their love for the Tamil language inspired them to learn Tamil," he said.

During the 'Kashi Tamil Sangamam' in Varanasi this year, special emphasis was placed on learning Tamil and under the theme of 'Learn Tamil-Tamil Karakalam', special campaigns were also run in more than 50 schools in Varanasi.

Highlighting how efforts are being made to stay connected to roots by Indians living abroad, he said that in Dubai, Kannada families living there asked themselves an important question: our children are moving ahead in the tech world, but aren't they moving away from their language?

"This is where 'Kannada Pathshale' was born. An initiative where children are taught to teach, learn, write, and speak Kannada. Today, more than a thousand children are associated with it. Truly, Kannada Nadu, Nudi Namma Hemme. (The land and language of Kannada are our pride)," he said.

The Prime Minister pointed out that an old, blurry photograph of three Buddhist stupas of Baramulla found in France has revealed Kashmir's glorious past dating back nearly two thousand years.

“For years, people had been seeing some tall mounds in Baramullah's Zehanpora. These were ordinary mounds, and no one knew what they were and one day, an archaeologist noticed them. The archaeologist began to observe the area carefully and these mounds appeared somewhat unusual. Following this, a scientific study of these mounds began and drones were used to take photographs from above, and the land was mapped,” he said, adding that then some surprising things started to emerge and it turned out that these mounds weren't natural, they were the remains of a large human-made structure.

Meanwhile, Modi said that another interesting connection emerged. "Thousands of kilometres away from Kashmir, an old, blurry photograph was found in the archives of a museum in France. Three Buddhist stupas were visible in that photograph of Baramulla. From here, time took a turn, and Kashmir's glorious past was revealed to us. This history dates back nearly two thousand years," he said.

The Prime Minister also highlighted a Manipuri man's effort to bring electricity to his remote village, describing how he found the solution in solar power that brought light to hundreds of houses in the area.