PM Modi said the alone time gave him the strength to handle life.

Highlights PM Modi said he used to go to the jungle for hiatus during Diwali

He interacted with Facebook page Humans of Bombay

Wanted my life to be one that is lived in the service of others

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said in an interview that he would go to the jungles for a five-day hiatus during Diwali holidays every year to reflect on his life. He recently interacted with the popular Facebook page, Humans of Bombay, which released the interview in parts. In the previous two instalments of the interaction, PM Modi had spoken about his childhood - how he grew up as the son of a tea-seller, his early inclination towards the BJP's ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, and his two-year-long visit to the Himalayas. In yesterday's post, PM Modi talks about his life after returning from the mountains.

"After coming back from the Himalayas, I knew that I wanted my life to be one that is lived in the service of others. Within a short span of returning, I left for Ahmedabad. It was my first brush with living in a big city - the pace of life was very different. I began my time there by occasionally helping my uncle at his canteen," the post read.

"Eventually, I became a full time Pracharak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. There, I got the opportunity to interact with people from different walks of life and do a wide range of work. We all took turns to clean the RSS office, prepare tea and food for colleagues and clean utensils," he adds.

PM Modi said that he was busy with the rigours of life, but he was determined to not let go of the peace he got at the Himalayas. To maintain a balance in life, he decided to take five days out of the year that he would spend alone.

"Not many people know this, but I would go away for the five days of Diwali. Somewhere in a jungle - a place with only clean water and no people. I would pack enough food to last for those five days. There would be no radios or newspapers, and during that time, there was no TV or internet anyway," he said.

He further said the alone time gave him the strength to handle life.

"I would reflect - and the strength that this alone time gave me still helps me to handle life and its various experiences. People often asked me, 'Who are you going to meet?' And I would say -- I am going to meet myself," he remembered.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a word of advice for his "young friends" too. "...in the midst of your fast paced life and busy schedules, take some time off...think and introspect. It will change your perception - you will understand your inner self better," he said.