The other day I was talking to a colleague who's spent some time in India. As always happens with our conversations, the Indian political scene and Narendra Modi popped up. When she asked me if I thought Modi had made a difference in the two years he's been Prime Minister, the answer, surprisingly, came easily to me.
"I don't think anybody can change India in two years or even five or seven. But I think Modi's biggest attempt and potential for making a difference is changing our outlook on our country and ourselves", I said.
Every speech he gives, each 'Mann ki baat' he uploads, he always focuses on the small things that individuals can do to make a difference. Whether it's a kid who suggested setting out a dish of water for birds in the hot Indian summer or another who wishes his parents would celebrate his exam score instead of lamenting it, Modi singles out instances where individuals can and do make a difference. He seems to be sending us a clear message -- "this is your country. You are not victims and the government is not here to rule or dole out justice (or injustice) to you. It's here to serve you but you will succeed only if you help yourself, and very importantly, your country. And it's not a tall order. There are others just like you who are making a difference in simple ways every day. Pick something small and do your bit and you will see how you can change your country and your life."
When Papa told me about a news program on Doordarshan called Good News India, it almost felt like an extension of what Modi seems to be doing. One of the news stories on this program was about an ordinary Indian who shared the water from his borewell with the rest of the village during a mean drought. Something most of the 'bigger' media channels wouldn't touch with a barge pole.
Stories like this give us hope -- that our country's not full of cheats and criminals. And that it doesn't take money and power to make a difference. That each one of us, however poor, however insignificant, has the ability to make a difference in society. That hope gives us power to choose action over despair and propels us towards a sense of belonging to something bigger than ourselves. As human beings in a world that seems to be composed of individual digital islands moving away from each other at a rapid pace, this powerful sense of community is probably the most beautiful gift a leader can give us. And one, that only an uncannily perceptive leader would know to give.
If Modi is indeed trying to do what I think he is; that, above all policy and international relations he succeeds in building, will likely be his single biggest contribution to my country. And, contrary to what the media may have us believe, we, the people of India, will be grateful, Narendra Bhai.
"I don't think anybody can change India in two years or even five or seven. But I think Modi's biggest attempt and potential for making a difference is changing our outlook on our country and ourselves", I said.
Every speech he gives, each 'Mann ki baat' he uploads, he always focuses on the small things that individuals can do to make a difference. Whether it's a kid who suggested setting out a dish of water for birds in the hot Indian summer or another who wishes his parents would celebrate his exam score instead of lamenting it, Modi singles out instances where individuals can and do make a difference. He seems to be sending us a clear message -- "this is your country. You are not victims and the government is not here to rule or dole out justice (or injustice) to you. It's here to serve you but you will succeed only if you help yourself, and very importantly, your country. And it's not a tall order. There are others just like you who are making a difference in simple ways every day. Pick something small and do your bit and you will see how you can change your country and your life."
When Papa told me about a news program on Doordarshan called Good News India, it almost felt like an extension of what Modi seems to be doing. One of the news stories on this program was about an ordinary Indian who shared the water from his borewell with the rest of the village during a mean drought. Something most of the 'bigger' media channels wouldn't touch with a barge pole.
Stories like this give us hope -- that our country's not full of cheats and criminals. And that it doesn't take money and power to make a difference. That each one of us, however poor, however insignificant, has the ability to make a difference in society. That hope gives us power to choose action over despair and propels us towards a sense of belonging to something bigger than ourselves. As human beings in a world that seems to be composed of individual digital islands moving away from each other at a rapid pace, this powerful sense of community is probably the most beautiful gift a leader can give us. And one, that only an uncannily perceptive leader would know to give.
If Modi is indeed trying to do what I think he is; that, above all policy and international relations he succeeds in building, will likely be his single biggest contribution to my country. And, contrary to what the media may have us believe, we, the people of India, will be grateful, Narendra Bhai.
