Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said optimism about India was the common sentiment that emerged from high-profile meetings during his visit to the United States last week. The prime minister claimed that the Indian diaspora had made a name for itself globally in science and technology, PTI reported.

“I just returned from America,” he said at the 56th convocation of Indian Institute of Technology-Madras. “During this visit I met many heads of states, business leaders, innovators, investors. In our discussions there was one thread common – it was optimism about new India. And the confidence in the abilities of young people of India.”

Modi told the audience that former graduates of the institution were behind several projects involving science, technology and innovation, and were “making brand India stronger globally”.

“These days I interact with young officers clearing Union Public Service Commission exams,” Modi said. “The number of IIT graduates [among them] will surprise both you and me...thus you are also making India a more developed place.”

The prime minister also asked the students to keep in mind the needs of the country no matter where they worked or lived. “Think of how your work, innovation and research could help a fellow Indian,” he added.

Modi said the country wants to move beyond single-use plastic, and asked the students to suggest an environment-friendly replacement. “This is when we look at our young innovators,” Modi added. The prime minister said that 21st century societies are founded on innovation, teamwork and technology, which complement each other.

Modi lauded the “extremely vibrant startup ecosystem at the IIT Madras Research Park. “All these startups should create unique Indian brands which will make their place in the world market in the future,” Modi said. “India’s innovation is a great blend of economics and utility.”

“The next challenge is to find a market to develop a startup,” Modi said. “A Startup India programme is designed to meet this challenge. This programme will support innovations to find their way to the market.”

Modi said the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship programme is aimed at promoting Research and Development in the country. Due to this, India is today one of the top three startup friendly ecosystems, the prime minister claimed. He said that the best part of this achievement was that it was powered by people from Tier II, Tier III cities and even rural areas.

Also read:

1. The Political Fix: What did Modi actually achieve on his grand, ‘world conquering’ trip to the West?

2. The Indian media saw Modi’s US visit as a great success. But Americans themselves barely noticed it

‘Tamil language echoes in entire America’: Modi

In his address, the prime minister said he had taken up the responsibility of telling people outside the country that Tamil was “one of the ancient languages”. He greeted the students at the convocation ceremony with a “Vanakkam [Hello]”.

“When I was staying in America, I spoke in the Tamil language once and told everyone that this is one of the ancient languages,” he said, according to News18. “Even today, the Tamil language echoes in entire America.”

The prime minister had quoted Tamil poet and philosopher Kaniyan Pungundranar in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday. “Three thousand years ago, a great poet of India, Kaniyan Pungundranar wrote in Tamil the most ancient language of the world “Yaadhum Oore Yaavarum Kelirwhich means ‘We belong to all places, and to everyone’,” he had said. “This sense of belonging beyond borders, is unique to India.”

At the Howdy Modi event in Texas on September 22, the prime minister had highlighted that India had progressed for centuries “with coexistence of several languages”. Modi had insisted that everything in India was fine, repeating the statement in multiple Indian languages to drive home the idea.

The prime minister’s statements came after a controversy erupted earlier this month when Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Hindi was the only language that could unite the country. Shah backtracked after several political leaders, especially from the southern part of the country, protested against his remark.

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