Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, 30 August used the 137th episode of his monthly radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat' to spotlight Mumbai-based engineer Krishna Seshadri, who built a specialised interactive history website — www.bharatrajya.com — that lets users map rulers and dynasties across India by selecting any year in history.

What bharatrajya.com Does

The website offers a deceptively simple interface: a visitor selects any particular year and instantly sees which ruler or dynasty governed each part of the Indian subcontinent during that era. Modi described the concept as 'quite interesting' and said he sought out more information after first encountering a reference to the project on social media.

Seshadri had originally announced the initiative on Ashaadha Ekadashi, writing that he was 'embarking on an initiative to make history interesting.' The post caught the Prime Minister's attention and led to a direct conversation on air.

Engineer Turned Amateur Historian

'I came to know that you are neither from the world of tech nor a history teacher. Even then, you made a history website using technology. I am very curious to know how all this happened,' Modi asked Seshadri during the broadcast.

Seshadri explained that despite coming from an engineering background, he had always been drawn to history. 'I thought of making a website to introduce the great empires of the nation to the people,' he told the Prime Minister. The site also includes a section where visitors can suggest corrections or additions — a feature Modi specifically praised for its openness to community input.

Three Figures from History Seshadri Would Meet

Modi posed a lighter question: if Seshadri could speak to any three people from Indian history, who would he choose? Seshadri named three figures that reflect the breadth of his historical interests.

First, Rajendra Chola — one of the most celebrated rulers of the Chola dynasty — to understand the architecture of that era. Second, Hemu, an ordinary trader who rose to build an empire and reportedly won 22 of the 23 battles he fought. Third, Tribhuvana Mahadevi of the Bhauma-Kara dynasty of Odisha. 'It seems that you are living history. You are completely immersed in history,' Modi responded.

Why This Moment Matters

The shoutout from one of India's most-listened-to radio programmes is likely to drive a significant surge in traffic to bharatrajya.com. Notably, citizen-led digital history projects of this kind remain rare in India, where institutional archives are often inaccessible to the general public. Seshadri's work represents a grassroots attempt to bridge that gap using freely available web technology.

This comes amid a broader national conversation around making India's historical heritage more accessible — a theme Modi has returned to repeatedly across his Mann Ki Baat episodes. With the Prime Minister's endorsement now on record, Seshadri's project is poised to reach a far wider audience than a solo engineer could have managed independently.