Bear Grylls’ post on PM Modi goes viral: ‘Best leaders aren’t the loudest’

2 min readNew DelhiJul 15, 2026 11:29 AM IST

Bear Grylls' viral post praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sparked widespread discussion online (Photo: @BearGrylls/X)

British adventurer Bear Grylls has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, placing him alongside former US President Barack Obama and Britain’s Prince William.

Sharing photos with the three leaders Tuesday, Grylls wrote on X, “I’ve met some of the most powerful leaders in the world. The best ones were never the loudest.” The post rekindled memories of Grylls’s widely watched 2019 adventure with Modi on a special episode of Man vs Wild, filmed at Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand.

See the post here:

I’ve met some of the most powerful leaders in the world. The best ones were never the loudest. pic.twitter.com/fwufgdTUHs

— Bear Grylls OBE (@BearGrylls) July 13, 2026

The post has since gone viral, amassing a deluge of mixed reactions. “A good leader is not the one who makes the most noise, but the one who stays calm and makes the right decisions, listens to people, and demonstrates leadership through their work!” a user wrote.

“So very true. The best ones were never the loudest. U probably forgot to mention one more gentleman duebto oversight may be. Sir Donald Trump, the Nobel peace prize winner,” a third user reacted.

Bear Grylls and PM Modi in ‘Man vs Wild’

The Discovery Channel programme featured the Prime Minister and Grylls trekking through forests, navigating heavy rain, crossing a river on a makeshift raft built from reeds, and discussing environmental conservation.

During the episode, Modi reflected on how spending time in the Himalayas during his youth shaped his outlook on life. Stressing the importance of environmental protection, he said humans should live in harmony with nature rather than treat it as an adversary.

One of the highlights from the episode came when Grylls created a makeshift spear as a precaution against wild animals, including tigers. Modi declined to use it as a weapon, saying, “My upbringing does not allow me to take a life. However, I will hold on to it since you insist!”

Addressing the curiosity in a later edition of his radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’, PM Modi revealed that both of them used real-time translation earpiece technology throughout the shoot, allowing them to converse seamlessly despite the language difference.