A MYSTIC AND A MATRABHAKT PM Modi’s power to envision and implement is singular

MODI IS THE CHANGE WE HAVE ALWAYS WISHED FOR - Sumitra Gandhi Kulkarni, Grand Daughter of Mahatma Gandhi

My recollections span the period from the emergency in India in 1975 until the mid 1990s. Was it first when George Fernandes was staying in disguise in our home in Delhi during the emergency or at the residence of Babu Trilok Singh, my senior colleague in the Rajya Sabha, I am not very certain when I first met or got to know Narendra bhai. He was with the RSS and later with the BJP. We both were from Gujarat and we both spoke Gujarati. Although he was many years younger, I felt him to be like a younger brother. He returned my sentiment with all the love and affection that an older sister gets. One of the most endearing things my grandfather, Gandhi taught me that leading a simple life does not take away the responsibility to be clean, neatly dressed and always presentable. Narendra bhai reminded me of my grandfather’s teachings. He was always unerringly punctual, always neatly attired and always warm and ever ready to help. He continues to be so even today.

My college education was in Nagpur and I knew Narendra bhai was in the RSS. And I could see how the RSS has instilled in him these excellent qualities. On a side note I firmly believe that in today’s Bharat, RSS is probably among the few organizations that have kept alive the basic Gandhian thought on stressing on Anushasan, that is discipline, punctuality, Swachhta, that is cleanliness, Swadeshi that is made in India, Swavlamban, i.e. self-reliance, Swadharma, one’s duty. The divine and Narendra bhai’s own will power have instilled these qualities in him in ample measure. Those were turbulent years in the politics of India. Sectarian politics was eating away at the national fabric and the decades of 70s, 80s and 90s added regional challenges. So these issues naturally became topics for informal discussion also.

As a Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat, I was deeply worried about the heavy infiltration from Pakistan to the border districts of Gujarat and the demographic change that such infiltration was bringing. Although I had shared this many times with Mrs Indira Gandhi, no one in the Congress party took serious note of this issue. But I clearly remember how Narendra bhai showed keen interest in my concern. Even at the young age, I sensed a keen intellect and a mind that observed and cared about such matters. We had a discussion about it and he fully understood that the stability of our border region was fundamental to the stability of India. His youth and the clarity of thought that he brought was refreshing. He was clearly committed to national issues and the politics of the moment didn’t seem to diffuse his focus even though in those days he was fully seized with the challenges that rural women faced, especially with regards to personal hygiene and access to clean drinking water, stable electricity supply, primary health for their families etc. Later on till he became BJP incharge of Himachal and Haryana, he seemed to have a false impression that I had travelled extensively abroad. I clearly remember how he would often invite me and urge me to visit Himachal Pradesh and experience its pristine natural beauty. He would passionately extol the beauty of the Himalayas and wish that someday our people would appreciate and value our own natural beauty in Bharat as they do for Swtizerland and the other nations.

Bapuji always told us that we must be the change we wish to see. Narendra bhai is a change we have all wished to see for our beloved Bharat. Although true to his personality, Narendra bhai himself does not realise how important he is to the future of Bharat and how significant positive change he has brought to our beloved motherland. He has restored the dignity of our deep spiritual heritage and along with that, the self-respect and dignity that every citizen of Bharat should always have. It is my prayer to the divine that may Narendra bhai and his team continue to be protected , guided and blessed in their mission to weld back our fractured psyche and weld back Bharat Mata.

Music for Millets - Falguni Shah (Falu), Indian-American singer & Grammy winner

Prime Minister Narendra Modiji is very, very insightful when it comes to music. He understands the power music has to touch lives, to translate from one continent onto another without even speaking. He had an idea when I met him in a Grammy in December 2022. He said “Falguni, why don’t you use music as a powerhouse, as a power tool to spread the message of awareness of millets? It is a very superior grain in many ways.” Prime Minister’s idea was to use millets as the best super grain in the world and promote it to every corner of the world. This idea that he used music as a powerful tool to really fight against this hunger problem is a very smart idea and the whole song was actually his vision. We very, very gently asked our beautiful, amazing Prime Minister to see if he would contribute by his speech. And yes, we got that acceptance. He said he would write a speech, and narrate a speech in his own words, in his own voice, in the song. And then, there were versions we sent him. The first version came in, we sent it to him, we got the feedback, we then kind of changed a little bit here and there, we made his vision more prominent because we wanted to make sure we really captured what he wants from the song and deliver that!

COMPILED AND EDITED BY SHWETA SHARMA AND SHASHIKANT SHARMA