PM Narendra Modi to Milind Soman at Fit India Dialogue: Surprised to see your mother do push ups at 81, watched video 5 times

Prime Minister Narendra Modi while speaking to Milind Soman on Thursday during the Fit India interaction told the actor that his mother is a true inspiration for all. Referring to a video of Usha Soman, PM Modi said that someone had sent him this video and he was awed by it and even watched it five times. 

“Someone sent me a video of your mother and I watched it at least five times. It was her birthday that day and she was doing five push ups in that video. I salute her,” the prime minister said.  

He joked about Milind Soman’s age and asked if he is actually 54-year-old. To this, the actor responded that his mother consistently inspires him to stay fit. 

“A lot of people ask me the same question about my age. They also ask me how am I able to run such long distance in this age. I tell them – my mother at 81 - is capable of doing all this. She is a huge source of inspiration for me. If you go the villages, women travel kilometres to fill water and for other activities. The problem in cities is that we sit a lot at place for work and other things. This makes them lazy,” he said.  

Lauding The Fit India Movement, Soman said that it is helping people understand the importance of fitness – not only physical but also mental.  

The interaction was also attended by athletes like Virat Kohli, Devendra Jhajharia and Afshan Ashiq. 

Leading up to the interaction, the prime minister had urged people to join the event and remain fit. "Are you already a fitness aficionado? Do you intend to make fitness a part of your routine? Bringing to you, an interesting Fit India Dialogue to discuss aspects related to nutrition, physical health, mental well-being and more,” he had said.