Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday invoked noted Tamil poet Subramania Bharati to drive home the message in his Independence Day address as he borrowed his words saying India will show the "whole world a way" to get rid of all kinds of bondage. Modi's speech lasted for a little over 80 minutes, during which he touched on a variety of issues, including his government's initiatives, the state of economy, women empowerment and India's stature globally.

The prime minister quoted a few lines from the works of the revered poet. He read out the lines in Tamil and also the translation in Hindi. "Several years before our independence, Bharati had dreamt of a vision for India. He had said that India would show the whole world a way to get rid of all kinds of bondage," he said.