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At a packed town hall attended by about 600 Facebook employees and their families, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took questions about importance of social media, India' s growth potential, women's empowerment and his mother.
Welcoming Modi to the Facebook headquarters at Menlo Park, Mark Zuckerberg said his connection with India started when his mentor Steve Jobs asked him to visit a temple in India, a month long trip which reinforced his belief.
So when Zuckerberg opened the questions and answer sessions by asking what Modi was doing to make India fulfil its growth promises Modi said in a lighter vein that if the founder of Facebook found his mission in India then India sure has potential.
Taking a question on the importance of social media, Modi said it was a great tool for Governance and world leaders should adopt it. "We don't have to wait for five years for elections to know effectiveness of governance, social media allows for accountability instantly. I ask all world leaders not to avoid social media and to connect to it," Modi said
"I used Chinese social media to wish the PM there. It went viral. I wished the Israel PM in Hebrew and he replied in Hindi! The fact that the world is a community is explained by social media," he added. Modi took about four questions and replied in Hindi
When asked about whether the ease of doing business has improved, Modi said India is a large country and it takes time to turnaround large things. "Turning around a scooter is easy but it’s difficult to move a long train. In a large country, changes take time to cumulatively be effective" he said.
Modi got emotional when asked about his mother. "My mother is illiterate… My father is no more. My mom understands things through media. My mother took lot of pains to help me grow. Lakhs of mothers in India have dedicated their lives for the dreams of their children. I salute all mothers for their inspiration and dedication. I hope this will inspire all to stick to the right path," he said.
(The writer is in Menlo Park at the invitation of Facebook)
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