Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the centenary celebrations of Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) on Saturday, September 5, marking 13 years since his address at the Delhi University affiliated college.
PM Modi recalled his address in 2013 as Gujarat chief minister, which had made a "wave" and even today, 13-14 years later.
"In 2013, when I came to SRCC, I presented a vision. Whatever I said back then was my conviction. I have always lived by those words. Dedicating my life to the nation was an emotion that took the form of words. I gave the example of a glass filled with water. Some people see the glass as half full. Some say it is half empty," PM Modi said.
Mentioning the time when the country was lacked hope, PM Modi explained the three ways of looking at a glass that is half-filled with water.
He said, "One perspective is to see the glass as half full of water. The second is to see it as half empty. And the third is to see the glass as completely full, half with water and half with air. This was a time when the country was sinking into a swamp of despair. Even then, I had said that I did not look at the glass as half full or half empty. I did not see it as incomplete. I saw the glass as completely full, half with water and half with air."
Expressing optimism over the country, PM Modi said, "They once called us the 'Fragile Five'. Today, they are talking about India as the fastest-growing major economy."
PM Modi said there were raised doubts about initiatives like 'Make in India'. India's 7.8% GDP growth amid global uncertainty indicates the country's conomic strength, he said.
"I would urge the youth to look at what the situation was back then, in 2013, and look at the headlines of that time. Newspaper headlines were filled with-- Indian soldiers killed along the LoC, World Bank lowers India's growth forecast, current account deficit at an all-time high, inflation rate at 10 per cent," he added.
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