While chatting with AI researcher and podcaster Lex Fridman, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made some remarks regarding the role of sports, India-Pakistan cricket rivalry, and the emerging culture of football in India.
‘Sports Energize the World’
PM Modi stressed the ability of sports to bring people together across borders. “I believe that sports have the ability to energize the whole world. The sporting spirit unites people from different countries. That’s why I would never like to see sports discredited. I firmly believe that sports contribute a lot to human evolution. They’re not games, they unite people at a deeper level,” he stated.
When asked who has the better cricket team between India and Pakistan, Modi refrained from making a direct comparison but hinted at recent match outcomes. “Now, coming to the question of who’s better and who’s not, when it comes to techniques in sports, I’m not an expert. Only those who specialize in the technical aspects can judge which techniques are superior and who the best players really are. But sometimes the outcome speaks for itself. A few days back, India and Pakistan had a match. The outcome tells us which is the stronger team. That’s how we know,” he said.
Football’s Growing Popularity in India
When talking about football, Modi acknowledged the sport’s strong roots in many Indian areas and its increasingly prominent stature in the nation. Asked whom he thought was the best footballer of all time, he pondered on past and present-day legends.
It’s true that a lot of places in India have a good football culture. Our women’s football team is doing very well, and the men’s team is also doing great. But if we go back to the past, in the 1980s, there was one name that always came to mind, and that was Maradona. For that generation, he was a real hero, and if you ask the current generation, they’ll tell you straight away, Messi,” he said.
‘Mini Brazil’ in India
PM Modi also narrated a special anecdote about a tribal district in Madhya Pradesh, showcasing India’s love for football.
“There’s a district called Shahdol, a totally tribal area where a big tribal population lives. I personally like to meet people from such communities, particularly the self-help groups led by tribal women. So I went there and had a chat.”. But by the time I arrived, I saw something interesting. About 80 to 100 young boys, children, and even some older teenagers all wearing sports attire standing in a group. Of course, I went up to them. So I inquired of them, ‘Where are you all from?
‘ And they responded, ‘We’re from mini Brazil.’ “I was shocked and said, ‘What is mini Brazil? ‘ They told me, ‘That’s what people refer to as our village.’ Intrigued, I asked, ‘Why is it mini Brazil?’
‘ They told me, ‘Four generations back, football has been played in our village.Nightly, almost 80 national-level players have emerged from here.undefinedOur whole village is football-centric.’ They also informed me when we host our annual football game, almost 20,000 to 25,000 viewers come from surrounding villages to witness.” Looking positively towards the future of football in India, he stated, “I see the increasing passion for football in India today as a good sign because it not only generates passion but also creates real team spirit.”