पीएम को हैप्पी बर्थडे तो ठीक है मेघा प्रसाद जी लेकिन ये वाकई बड़ी उपलब्धि है 11 महीने के पत्रकारिता करियर में गुजरात ब्यूरो चीफ बन जाना!

मेघा प्रसाद-

The year was 2005, I had joined Times Now as their Gujarat Bureau Chief, just 11 months into my journalism career, fresh out of college. I’ll never forget that afternoon—it was a languid, sweltering day in September. I was dozing off at home, indulging in my afternoon siesta, as we were still scouting for a location to set up our bureau office in Ahmedabad.

Around 1 p.m., my phone rang, displaying an unfamiliar Gandhinagar landline number. I answered, and a polite voice asked if I was Megha Prasad. I confirmed, and he responded, “Achha, ab Sahab baat karenge.” Surprised, I asked, “Kaun se Sahab?”—not for a moment imagining who was on the other end.

The operator, amused, replied, “CM Sahab.” I bolted upright on my bed. Until then, I had never spoken to a minister, let alone a chief minister. Before I could gather my thoughts, a commanding voice boomed through the phone: “Toh, kaisa laga hamara Gujarat?”

That call marked the beginning of a 21-year association with Narendra Modi ji, the only politician I’ve covered throughout my career—from Gujarat to Delhi, from Chief Minister to Prime Minister of India.

What struck me then was his initiative to reach out to me, a young journalist who had just relocated to his state to establish a bureau for a news channel yet to launch. Ideally, I should have been the one seeking his time, but this politician was different from the start—he didn’t wait for my request. Those who know him closely will attest that he nurtures his relationships with remarkable warmth and care.

Happy Birthday Prime Minister Sir!