The takeaways from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Townhall Q&A” at the Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, California, on Sunday

MERE PAAS MA HAI

Overcome by emotion while talking about his mother, Modi choked while replying to a question about family, posed by Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook co-founder, whose parents were among the audience.

Modi requested "Mark's" parents to stand up so that everyone could see them. Then, the Prime Minister referred to his humble origins. No, he did not forget to mention that he was a tea seller.

But what activated the tear ducts was an account, marked by a long pause, of how Modi's mother used to wash utensils and fill water at homes in the neighbourhood to bring up her children. " Bartan saaf karna, paani bharna... m-mazdoori karna," Modi choked on his own broken words as a stunned silence descended on the room.

When Modi recovered his composure, he was gracious enough to point out that the story held true for countless mothers in India. "It's not just the case with Narendra Modi, many mothers in India sacrifice their entire lives for their children. There are so many parents who have sacrificed their own lives to fulfil the dreams and aspirations of their children," he said.

Modi usually meets his mother, Hiraben Modi (95), in Ahmedabad once a year on his birthday but this year he did not visit her.

The Facebook audience rose to their feet and applauded. Modi stood up and acknowledged the ovation with folded hands.

In effect, a programme that began to the strains of Chak De, India ended with an outpouring that came close to the mere paas maa hai scene in Deewar. Modi used to act on stage once. He loved to play the role of Jogidas Khuman, a Robin Hood-like figure in Gujarati folklore.

TRAIN, NOT SCOOTER

Asked by a spectator whether the pace of reforms was slow in India, Modi sprang the analogy of a scooter and a train.

"If you want to turn a scooter, it takes half a second.... But if you have to turn a 40-bogey train, take it from here to there, it will take a long time... it has not come, it has not come, it has not come.... In such a big country where changes are continuous and numerous, the total effect will take time to be apparent. Then you will know from where we have reached where."

Modi seemed to have stuck to the same track that he took in New York a few days ago when he met several CEOs of American companies but steered clear of committing himself to specific reforms.

At Facebook, Modi hardsold the creation of 180 million bank accounts in 100 days - which is not exactly a fallout of economic reforms. He said in spite of the bank nationalisation (by Indira Gandhi, though he did not name her), so many people were unable to open bank accounts.

Modi later said that he was adding another "D" to India's "3Ds" - demographic dividend, democracy and demand. The fourth "D", he said, is "deregulation". "My philosophy is the government has no business to do business," the Prime Minister said, although there is little evidence till now of his government minimising its role in many spheres.

"It is my dream to convert the Indian economy into $20 trillion from the present $8 trillion," Modi said.

This time, Modi held his fire and did not overtly criticise his predecessor. However, he made a reference to "a patient in the intensive care unit" and how the arrival of a new doctor had inspired confidence in the people and changed the perception.

TEMPLE TOWN

Zuckerberg said he was revealing a little-known fact and went on to say how he had approached one of his mentors, Steve Jobs of Apple, for advice when Facebook was going through a rough patch. Jobs told him to go to India and visit "this temple" (Kainchi Ashram of Neem Karoli Baba in Nainital) that the Apple founder had gone to when his vision was evolving. Zuckerberg said he travelled in India for a month and learned about "connecting" with people.

Modi thanked Zuckerberg for revealing the fact that his "guru" asked him to go to Hindustan and visit a temple before doing anything so that he could find his way.

In response to a question on empowerment of women, Modi said India is the only place where female goddesses are worshipped. "Durga, Saraswati, Kali...," Modi said.

SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL

Modi said social media played a big role in educating him. "I am not very educated. I was not fortunate to get a lot of knowledge. But I made up through social media."

He said the most satisfying outcome was that social media helped the world to accept him for "what I am".

Perhaps keeping in mind the recent retreat on the encryption draft, Modi said social media ensures a course correction when governments go in the wrong direction.

Modi also said how his digital birthday greetings to the Chinese Prime Minister made many Chinese aware that it was their leader's birthday. Modi evoked a round of laughter when he said China has a "different structure" when it comes to social media, an oblique reference to the controls there.