For PM Narendra Modi, English Switchover Came Naturally

NEW DELHI: For those following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's addresses abroad, his switch to English instead of the expected Hindi during his recent foreign visits may have come as a surprise. But, for a politician known to be a powerful orator and effective communicator, the reason was simple - he wished to convey the essence of his speech in his own way.

And the teleprompter has been a useful aid in his switchover to English.

For Modi, who has comfortably addressed six rousing election speeches in a day, speaking extempore in Hindi comes effortlessly, though he is a native Gujarati speaker, who avoided speaking in English unless absolutely required.

Initially all his diplomatic interactions were in Hindi with a translator at hand. His speeches during his Japan and U.S visits were in Hindi, with the translators scrambling to keep pace.

But Modi, known for his use of pithy yet simple words, is understood to have been dissatisfied with the translated versions. Reason: they failed to convey the essence of his speeches, several conversations has had with aides revealed.

Modi first chose to speak in English during the PSLV launch in July at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Aided by a teleprompter, Modi switched to English interspersed with some Hindi sentences. Again in September, Modi spoke in English in his congratulatory address to ISRO scientists when India's Mangalyaan was successfully placed in the Mars orbit.

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