‘Used Chalk To Clean White Shoes’: PM Modi Opens Up On Growing Up In Poverty

Last Updated:March 16, 2025, 19:56 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened up on his childhood, humble beginnings and shared the memories of growing up in poverty.

In his podcast with AI researcher Lex Fridman, PM Narendra Modi spoke about his childhood. (Image: @Lex Fridman/YouTube)

In a deep-personal moment during his interaction with US-based podcaster and AI researcher Lex Fridman, Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened up on his childhood, humble beginnings and shared the memories of growing up in poverty.

While describing about his white canvas shoes as a schoolgoing child, PM Modi said that he never felt burdened by the challenging circumstances.

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“My early life was spent in extreme poverty. But we never really felt the burden of poverty. You see, someone who is used to wearing fine shoes will feel their absence when they don’t have them. But for us, we had never worn shoes in our lives," he said.

The Prime Minister further recounted how his uncle once gifted him a pair of “canvas shoes" who was surprised to see him going to school without shoes.

“While I was on my way to school, I ran into my uncle on the way. He saw me and was surprised, ‘Hey! You go to school like this? Without shoes?’ So, at that time, he bought me a pair of canvas shoes and made me wear them. Back then, they must have cost around 10 or 12 rupees. But here’s the thing, they were white canvas shoes, and they would quickly get stained," he said.

PM Modi then said that he used to keep those shoes looking clean with chalk from school. “In the evening, after school was over, I would stay back for a while. I would go from classroom to classroom, collecting leftover pieces of chalk that the teachers had discarded. I would take the pieces of chalk home, soak them in water, mix them into a paste, and polish my canvas shoes with it, making them bright white again," he added.

The Prime Minister also detailed how managed to keep his clothes ironed despite having no such arrangements.

“Not sure how I picked up the habit of dressing neatly, but it’s been there since childhood. Whatever I wore, I made sure it looked proper. Back then, as you can imagine, we didn’t have any arrangements for ironing clothes. So instead, I would heat up water in a copper pot, hold it with tongs, and press my clothes myself. Then, I’d head off to school. That’s how I lived, and I found joy in it," said the Prime Minister.

He added that he embraced every phase of his life with gratitude.

“We never thought about being poor, or judged about how others lived, or what their struggles were. We lived carefree, enjoying whatever little we had, and kept working hard," he said.

PM Modi’s conversation with Fridman is his second appearance in podcasts. This is his first appearance in a podcast hosted by an international personality. Earlier in January this year, he appeared in a podcast with Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath.

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