"I am a big admirer of Tamil culture. I am a big admirer of Tamil, the oldest language in the world...every Indian should cherish and feel proud that the most ancient language of the world belongs to our country. I take a lot of pride in Tamil," said the Prime Minister during his "Mann Ki Baat" radio programme while talking about a letter he received from a listener Guru Prasad.

PM Modi said that Guru Prasad has prepared an E-Book by compiling all that the Prime Minister has spoken about Tamil Nadu in 'Mann Ki Baat', and informed Guru Prasad that he will definitely get the book uploaded on the Namo App.

He noted that Independence Day is approaching, and said the 'Amrit Mahotsav 'of 75 years of Independence is a big inspiration for us.

"Let us learn to live for the country. The Struggle for Independence is the story of those who died for the country, we have to make this post-Independence time the story of those who live for the country. Our mantra should be - India First. Every decision of ours, every decision should have the basis - India First!" the Prime Minister said.

PM Modi noted that the country has set many collective goals in the Amrit Mahotsav to revive the history related to our freedom fighters by remembering them.

"You will remember that in 'Mann Ki Baat', I appealed to the youth to research and write the history of the freedom struggle. The motive was that young talents should come forward, young thinking, young thoughts should gain prominence, the young pen should write with new energy...It is a matter of joy that the youth who have been born and brought up in the 21st century have taken up cudgels to bring to the forefront the history of the Freedom Struggle of 19th and 20th century. All these people have sent the full details on MyGov. These people will be writing on the freedom struggle in different languages of the country, such as Hindi - English, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi - Malayalam, Gujarati," he added.

He requested everyone to join the Amrit Mahotsav, in whichever way they can.

He also reiterated his appreciation for doctors and healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.