Narendra Modi: Prime Minister of India - Power, Democracy, War & Peace | Lex Fridman Podcast #460
Narendra Modi tells Lex Fridman he fasts up to 9 days while running India, resisted global pressure to print money during COVID, and argues no AI can be complete without Indian participation.
- Modi fasts completely for 9 days during Navratri, consuming only hot water, while continuing full prime ministerial duties including bilateral meetings with world leaders.
- During COVID, Modi refused pressure from Nobel Prize-winning economists and opposition parties to print money or empty the treasury; India avoided the severe inflation that followed globally.
- RSS runs approximately 125,000 social service projects, 70,000 single-teacher tribal schools, and 25,000 schools educating ~3 million students, all without government funding.
- Modi argues AI built without India will be structurally biased, citing a concrete example: current systems default to right-handed images because left-hand-dominant use cases were not represented in training.
- India became the fastest nation globally to roll out comprehensive 5G networks after being widely considered far behind; Modi frames this as the pattern for AI leadership.
- Archaeological excavations Modi initiated as Chief Minister of Gujarat found continuous habitation in his hometown Vadnagar dating back 2,800 years, including a major Buddhist learning center.
- Modi invited Pakistan’s leadership to his swearing-in ceremony as Prime Minister specifically to reset relations; he says every subsequent peace attempt was met with hostility.
- Chandrayan moon mission cost less than a single Hollywood blockbuster film; Modi cites cost-effectiveness as India’s structural advantage in global tech partnerships.
Guests: Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India · 2025-03-16 · Watch on YouTube
