Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been known to prefer giving public address in Hindi, but at the Vibrant Gujarat Summit in Gandhinagar he chose to speak in English. And this is not the first time that he has switched to English. While addressing the ISRO scientists during the PSLV launch in July, the Prime Minister spoke particularly in English and used heavy words and many scientific terms in his speech.
The Prime Minister’s speech at the Vibrant Gujarat Summit confirms that he is quite comfortable with English when he wants to use the language, and his preference to speak in Hindi, even during bilaterals with foreign leaders, is a deliberate choice.
The technology that has helped him is a teleprompter which is also frequently used by US President Barack Obama even for short speeches.
Here’s how it works: A teleprompter usually consists of two mirrors that are semi-transparent, each mounted on a small, thin stand, with each mirror set at a 45 degree angle. The text from the monitor is visible on the mirror for the speaker to read.
At the base of the mirror is a flat LCD monitor, pointed at the ceiling. It displays the words of speech in a large, typically 56 pt to 72 pt, font.
Though the speaker can easily read from the mirror, from the audience side it looks like a clear piece of glass because of the anti-reflective coating that is on it. During his speech, the speaker simply looks from one teleprompter to the other. This gives an impression that he is looking at the audience while giving his speech.
