During peak voting season, whenever I travelled to and from work, that annoyingly catchy tune, "Hum Modiji ko laane wale hain, Achhe din aane wale hain!", always sauntered through my ear canals with a dominance akin to an elephant stomping through its territory.
I must admit Narendra Modi did capture my political fancy at that time. I was certain, almost adamantly so, that we needed a breath of fresh air at the Centre. Along with a host of other equally hopeful individuals, let me admit, I did my bit to bring this charismatic ex-tea vendor at the helm of all things political.
What started thereafter was nothing short of a whirlwind affair with the media. Modi's Independence Day speech was hailed in all quarters; he seemed to have won people over by sheer word power. Of course, the critics did their jobs too, but tell me honestly, how many of us didn't have goosebumps while we heard this 60+ man roar at the podium in front of the Red Fort?
Modi bhai has made promises, openly. Yes, he possesses the gumption to make commitments publicly, and I think he's been able to do so by abiding to a fundamental marketing principle - either convince the customer, or confuse her. Either ways, as a marketeer, your job will be done.
Modi has used his superlative oratory powers to convince gullible folks, and not-so-gullible folks even, that he's got it all covered, and that he shall do what it takes to get India to the top of the world power game. He did a few things - made bureaucrats arrive on time for work, and subsequently have the chaiwallahs servicing these bureaucrats voice their ire against this sudden influx of timeliness and efficiency. Then all sorts of fancy goods and services were withdrawn with the purpose of making government expenditure leaner - the embarking of an austerity drive that, once again, held the media and its consumers in rapture.
Then there's the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan. This one almost seems like a photo op. It's a blitzkrieg of sorts, and famous personalities are cashing in on this opportunity fresh on the wave of the Prime Minister himself having brandished a broom with the objective of cleaning up. Truth be told, localised civilian movements such as those reported by the group 'The Ugly Indian' under the "Kaam Chalu, Mooh Bandh" initiative, are the ones doing the work. Not Modi or his coterie.
Black money, that coveted treasure trove stashed away in Swiss and other such exotic coffers, was supposed to be a primary focus area for the new NDA government. However, so far only three persons have been indicted in this matter, and in all probability, the matter will get so ridiculous and jaded in a few more days that nobody will be interested in it anymore. Of course, Modi urged nations to work together to solve the crippling crime of black money, but unless he unearths at least some part, if not the whole, of the money laundering population, what weight does such an announcement, made on a global platform, hold?
Observing the antics of the Prime Minister has prompted me to think of him as a socialite who's trying really hard to make his presence felt on the runway of world power and politics. I follow the Premier's Twitter and Facebook feeds, and trust me when I say this, I feel my timelines are being spammed by the umpteen updates from his social media outlets.
The country’s supreme elected representative has made almost nine foreign trips in his first six months in office; former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh had made all of 10 such trips, be it for bilateral discussions, the G20 summit or some other such high-power conclave, during his tenure as PM. Three of these trips were made in 2004, while the remainder were conducted in 2009.
On an average, there must be tens of posts to Modi's timelines emanating from these sojourns. Most of these updates seem to be of parties, meetings that resemble parties and discussions that look more like deliberate attempts at precise photojournalistic exercise.
In short, Modi is akin to a party-hopping socialite that appears to be at the top of his game - a highly successful and charismatic personality. However, who knows what lies under that garb of charisma and fabricated success?
What tangible results are we seeing of this new government? I haven't seen anything yet. Inflation, a critical issue that was at least on the political agenda of the Congress, seems to be an orphaned case this time round. I dread buying fruits these days; the prices are shocking at times.
Yes, the stock markets are soaring, and that's a smart strategy for Modi to follow. Keep the industry happy and you have one foot firmly entrenched in the corridors of power. Keep your oriental neighbours happy despite their infringements on Indian soil, and make an indelible footprint on their minds. The man is smart, suave and sensible. He knows what he needs to do to stay at this position of power, and he will do whatever it takes to ensure he becomes indispensable for the country. Net-net advantage - Modi.
He’s also aggressively targeting the Indian diaspora, promising them visas on arrival in India, thus ensuring that his name and aura spread and reach even the most remote locations. While it is a strong move to encourage deeper participation by people of Indian origin settled abroad, in matters related to commerce and culture, it does bring to the fore questions of equal treatment for Indians when they visit foreign countries.
I’ve heard of so many instances when people going abroad for education and business purposes, especially to countries like the US, were denied visas. These people never got around to solving the “Why was I rejected?” conundrum; they simply accepted it and moved on in life. I bear no grudge against the Prime Minister for his decisions and pronouncements; such manoeuvres are much needed in a country that is, or seems to be, back on the growth fast-track, because it opens up avenues for greater participation by hitherto neglected or undiscovered parties.
However, it’s sad to see Indians still at the receiving end of rejected visas despite collectively being one of the largest immigrant communities globally. If Mr Modi can help solve the rejection conundrum, I am certain we would be more than happy to export more of our ilk to wherever we’re needed and wanted.
Modi is a marketeer in the true sense; he convinces using words, and then he confuses, again, using the same words. The use of word power could not have been more apparent than it is now. Modi has the words to serenade, mesmerise, hypnotise, convince - the list of infinitives is vast; you can take your pick.
However, despite all the cynicism and criticism, I am still unabashedly hopeful of change. The thought that he may have come to power purely because of a robustly executed marketing strategy does circle my mind now, almost six months post his elevation to the post of Prime Minister.
In fact, renowned marketing guru Philip Kotler recently acknowledged he’s ‘high on Modi’, given the man’s tenacious command over his personality and role as a public servant. "He is often mistaken to have marketed himself to fame, but I actually feel it is his work ethic and set of values that helped him catch up," said Kotler.
Modi's definitely a man I look up to, and I sincerely hope he's able to fulfil the requirements of a few million of us. Whether his tenure will do anything differently only time will tell. So far, in about half a year, he has managed to make people sit up and take notice of his presence and plans. A lot of us are yet to see anything tangible resulting from his initiatives.
So, while the India-under-Modi strategy looks promising, the execution of this strategy has, so far, been shoddy. Given his reputation as a taskmaster, I would have expected Modi to exhibit at least some real results by now. After all, as some wise ones put it, strategy without execution is hallucination, and we sure don’t want to be hallucinating about a healthy future for our country.
Hope our man of the moment gets his words to start working. A lot of us chose him as our elected representative because we believed in his ideas and saw in his vocabulary the potential to make things happen. The potential energy of his intentions now needs to turn into kinetic energy and thus, action.
Modi’s words are worth a few million hopes and aspirations; it would be crushing to see this worth eroded due to the political endemic of indifference and apathy. The tense and tenor has to change from future to present – “Achhe din aane waale hain!” has to metamorphose to “Achhe din aa gaye hain!”
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