Walking through the wild and taking a ride on a cold riverin a makeshift boat were some of the things that Prime Minister Narendra Modiput up with as he teamed up with survivalist Bear Grylls to promote a causeclose to his heart – protecting nature.

On Discovery channel’s, “Man Vs Wild with Bear Grylls and Prime Minister Modi”, he braved the rain and cold in the jungles of Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, and as the host put it, the PM was a “great sport”.

 “You are the most important man in India and my job is to keep you alive,” Grylls joked.During the conversation, Modi said fulfilling people’s dreams gave him happiness and his focus is on development. “My position never goes to my head,” he said, inreply to a question.

Grylls, who has had celebrity guests, including formerAmerican President Barack Obama, on his show earlier asked Modi about hischildhood, dreams as the prime minister, whether he feared anything in life andif he ever felt nervous before a political rally.Modi said he never had a goodanswer about “nervousness” as it was not a part of his temperament.

“My problem is that I have never experienced such fears. Iam unable to explain it to people what nervousness is and how to deal with it because my in-built temperament is very positive. I see positivity in everything. And because of that reason, I am never disappointed.” Grylls said this was a strong message for the young.“If I have to tell anything to the young generation, then I will say we should not think of our life in pieces. If we think of our life as a whole then there will be ups and downs. If you are going down, don’t think about it because the way up starts from there,” he said.

When they came to the river during the five-mile walk,Grylls made Modi sit in a makeshift boat while he himself pushed it along, halfsubmerged in water At the end of the ride, they shared a hot drink laced withcurry leaves.“You must be the first prime minster ever in history to cross ariver on a coracle like this,” the host quipped.But Grylls, known for hisdeath-defying feats and an irreverent style, spared the prime minister of whatsome of his guests go through.

Modi’s talked about living with love for nature and notexploiting it for one’s own ends but leaving it for the future generations.Hesaid India’s message to the world is Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, or the whole worldis one family.

The show attracted some controversy months before itsbroadcast on Monday night. The Congress alleged the prime minister was busy shooting the show the day the Pulwama terror attack took place in Kashmir.WhenGrylls asked whether he had ever dreamt of becoming prime minister, Modi saidhis focus has always been the development of the nation.“I was the chief minister of a state first. I worked as a chief minister for 13 years, which wasa new journey for me. Then my country decided I needed to do this job. So Ihave been doing this for the last five years.

“But the focus has been always been on one thing and that isdevelopment. And I am satisfied with that job. Today, if I consider this timeas a vacation, then I must say I am taking a vacation for the first time in 18years,” Modi said.On becoming the country’s prime minister, Grylls asked whetherhe ever pinched himself.