The Modi enigma: India wants its PM to be a nationalist

The elite simply cannot distinguish between Hindu cultural nationalism, on one hand, and rabid communalism targeting a minority, on the other

- BERJIS DESAI

A dispassionate look at the 75 years of Narendra Modi reveals how every major incident and event in his life was structured in a manner to ensure the ultimate result.

Many of us are children of destiny but some like Modi and Gandhi are instruments of the forces which shape India’s emergence as a Nation.

Narendra Modi has unstinted admiration for the Mahatma’s ability to instantly raise the consciousness of the masses. Modi recalls how by the simple act of picking up a pinch of salt, Gandhiji sparked a nationwide movement of civil disobedience and resistance. In a speech given at Nagpur University, Modi had called Gandhi a great Communicator, which surprised a section of the audience who thought that the Mahatma was not such a great speaker. Modi went on to explain that Gandhi was not an orator, but he knew how to instantly connect with the consciousness of the masses, and that’s why he was a great communicator. Modi, of course, is both an orator and a great communicator.

The Childhood:

Far away from the playing fields of Eton and Harrow and the hallowed portals of Oxbridge, primary school for Narendra was an eight-room structure with blackboards written upon with squeaking chalk. The high school, which followed, was hardly different.