NEW DELHI: Returning to Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) 13 years after his landmark 2013 address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi adopted a conversational, youth-centric tone, using popular Gen Z terminology to engage the audience during the college’s centenary celebrations.
Speaking on Teachers’ Day, PM Modi reconnected with the student body by peppering his speech with modern terms like “OG” (Original Gangster/Classic) and drawing references to popular culture, including the recent cinematic release Dhurandhar.
75-yr-old PM .@narendramodi Ji speaking Gen-Z language was not in my menu card. 😂👏 pic.twitter.com/a7a5Y9wKra
— BhikuMhatre (@MumbaichaDon) September 5, 2026
Praising the ‘OG’ Alumni and Pop Culture Nods
In a lighter moment during his address, PM Modi lauded the college’s vast ecosystem of legal, political, and corporate stalwarts.
“SRCC’s alumni have also been very special. If I put it in your language, the alumni here are the OGs,” PM Modi said, drawing applause from the crowd. He fondly recalled late Union Minister Arun Jaitley and noted economists like Sanjeev Sanyal, highlighting how former students have shaped the nation’s governance and economic architecture.
Moving to pop culture references, the Prime Minister encouraged students to make a dynamic impact regardless of their field. “Dhurandhar na ho, lekin dhoom toh machayi hai” (You may not be a Dhurandhar, but you have certainly made some noise), he remarked, invoking the term that has gained wide currency among young audiences.
Revisiting 2013: A Tale of Two Eras
Connecting his return to his February 2013 address at SRCC—delivered when he was Gujarat Chief Minister—PM Modi urged the current batch of students to “revisit” and research the national landscape of that period.
“What I said in 2013 was my conviction,” he stated, noting that his earlier address had been widely revisited and discussed across media platforms in recent days.
Contrasting the two timelines, the Prime Minister highlighted that in 2013, India was battling policy paralysis, rising inflation, cross-border security concerns, and high-profile corruption scandals. “Growth was on the floor and inflation was at its peak,” he noted, describing the pre-2014 atmosphere as one dominated by uncertainty. He placed this in opposition to today’s economic climate, where global markets view India as an engine of policy dynamism and resilient growth.
A Broader Youth Outreach Push
The Prime Minister’s choice of language comes alongside a broader effort across political lines to adapt messaging for younger demographics. With digital platforms, short-form video content, and online discourse framing how Gen Z processes policy, PM Modi’s speech combined lighthearted slang with serious policy benchmarks to communicate his vision for an Aatmanirbhar (self-reliant) and developed India.
