Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s sharp wit was on display on Friday as he presented the first-ever National Creators Award at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
Playback singer Maithili Thakur, who is trained in Indian classical music and folk music, was announced the winner of ‘Cultural Ambassador of The Year’.
After handing over the award to Maithili Thakur, PM Modi asked her to display her singing talent in front of the audience.
“Kuch suna hi do, kyunki log mera sun sun ke log thak jaate hain. (Why don’t you sing something, people anyway get tired of listening to me all the time.)
Thakur, accepting PM Modi’s request, says, “Bilkul sir (Of course, sir)”
PM Modi quipped, “Achha thak jaate hain na? (So you accept that they do get tired?)”
Taken aback, Thakur said, “No no…I meant ‘of course, I will sing’”.
PM Modi also recalled a joke on Ahmedabad while interacting with the winner of the Green Champion Award Pankhti Pandey, who hails from the city.
Asking the audience if they could identify people from Ahmedabad, PM Modi, “I am telling you what I have heard during my childhood, even though I don’t believe in it”.
“Once a train arrived at a railway station and the passenger on the upper berth asked someone on the other side of the window ‘Which station is this?’,” the prime minister said.
“The person on the platform said, ‘Will tell only if you give me char anna (currency unit formerly used in British India)’. The passenger replied, ‘No need, must be Ahmedabad’,” Modi said, evoking laughter from the audience.
The National Creators Award is an effort to recognize excellence and impact across domains, including storytelling, social change advocacy, environmental sustainability, education, gaming, among others.
In the first round, more than 1.5 lakh nominations across 20 different categories were received. Subsequently, in the voting round, about 10 lakh votes were cast for digital creators in various award categories. Following this, 23 winners, including three international creators, were decided.
The award was given across twenty categories including the Best Storyteller Award; The Disruptor of the Year; Celebrity Creator of the Year; Green Champion Award; Best Creator For Social Change; Most Impactful Agri creator; Cultural Ambassador of The Year; International Creator award; Best Travel Creator Award; Swachhta Ambassador Award; The New India Champion Award; Tech Creator Award; Heritage Fashion Icon Award; Most Creative Creator (Male & Female); Best Creator in Food Category; Best Creator in Education Category; Best Creator in Gaming Category; Best Micro Creator; Best Nano Creator; Best Health and Fitness Creator.
