The much-anticipated podcast featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi and renowned American podcaster Lex Fridman finally dropped on YouTube on Sunday. The conversation kicked off on an intriguing note, as Fridman revealed he had been fasting for two days in “honour of the conversation”.
“I’ve been fasting since the last two days… just water, no food… to get into the right mindset, to get into the spiritual level,” Fridman told Modi. The Prime Minister responded by expressing his gratitude and shared his own perspective on fasting. He said that fasting is the way to cultivate discipline. “It is a powerful tool to bring both the inner and outer self into balance. It shapes life in profound ways,” PM explained.
Modi further said that fasting never slows him down instead “sometimes I even work more”. “Another fascinating thing I’ve noticed is that when I need to express my thoughts somewhere, I get amazed at where (these thoughts) come from and how they flow,” he added.
Beyond fasting, the discussion took a deep dive into Modi’s life journey, covering his early years, his transformative time in the Himalayas, his association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and his views on Hindu nationalism.
Reflecting on his childhood, Modi described his upbringing as unique, shaped by rare experiences in his village. “Looking at the world as I understand it today, I can reflect on my childhood and the unique environment I grew up in. My village had certain fascinating aspects, some of which are quite rare, even globally,” he shared.
Fridman, known for his thought-provoking conversations with global thought leaders, earlier called the interaction “one of the most powerful conversations of my life”. In a post on X, he wrote, “I had an epic 3-hour podcast conversation with Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India. It was one of the most powerful conversations of my life.”
PM Modi echoed the sentiment, describing it as a “fascinating conversation covering diverse topics”.