Mumbai, Aug 19 (IANS) Filmmaker Subhash Ghai remembered the encouraging words of PM Narendra Modi even after 17 years.
As Ghai had come to PM Modi with the idea of Whistling Woods, he had expected bureaucracy; however, to his surprise, he was welcomed with enthusiasm and fast execution.
The Twitter handle, ‘Modi Story’, recently uploaded a video of Ghai where he recalled his 2009 visit to Gujarat, when PM Modi was the Chief Minister of the state.
The then CM had invited the filmmaker for breakfast at his residence.
As Ghai was giving PM Modi a presentation, he had told him that till the time education had no artistic perspective, human development was not possible through education, and that it was possible through cinema.
PM Modi had really appreciated the thought and asked Ghai
“What do you need?”
The director had asked for some land to open an institute.
“I asked for land to which teachers are also able to commute easily,” recalled the ‘Taal’ maker.
Pointing to his secretaries, PM Modi had said, “I have told them. From here upto Vadodara, choose any land along the highway. Because we want you to open Whistling Woods in Ahmedabad”.
He further added, “If my secretaries cause any kind of trouble or delay, you can call me directly”.
When Ghai had pointed out that they are senior officers, PM Modi said, “No, they have a lot of work, so they might forget. I truly understand the importance of what you were trying to explain, and I really want it to be built here.”
Ghai shared that this was the first time a Chief Minister had said something like this to him, making the memory extremely special for him.
For the unaware, Ghai founded the Whistling Woods International (WWI), one of India’s premier film, communication, and creative arts institutes, in 2006.
–IANS
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