GETTING DOWN TO BRASS TACKS WITH PM MODI

VALUE OF TIME - Randheer Sharma, MLA, Himachal Pradesh

In 1996, Narendra Modi came here as incharge of Himachal Pradesh BJP. At that time, I was a member of the Himachal Pradesh Karya Samiti of BJP. How to best utilize time, was a special quality of Narendra Modi and no one can do that better than him. I received him at Kalka station and took him to Parwanoo Guest House. He checked the washroom and immediately brought to my notice that the geyser was not switched on. I replied that I will turn it on right away. Then he said “Well, now I have switched it on but it should have been turned on earlier.” I said that it will only take 15-20 minutes and water will be hot enough for you. Do you know what his reply was? Modiji said “What am I going to do in these 15 to 20 minutes? You should have turned on the geyser when you left for the railway station. That would have ensured that the water is hot before I reach and I would not have had to waste these twenty minutes. I could have been at work immediately.”

Another anecdote that I recollect from that time, I will share here. Modiji used to wear a beard then too and I once asked him the reason for keeping the beard. His response was “If you shave everyday, you lose 15 minutes of precious time. If you sport a beard, you only need 5 minutes every month for trimming. So tell me, how much time do we save this way?” This is how PM Modi views time and the importance of utilizing every minute of it.

RESPECT FOR HIERARCHY - Mahesh Parikh, Ahmedabad, Gujarat

It was the inauguration of RSS Nadiad office. We had purchased an office named Anantrao Smriti Bhawan and at that time I was serving full-time for a period of one year. So I reached Ahmedabad with the invitation cards for the inauguration. Even though my home was in Ahmedabad, I was staying at Nadiad as full-timer. So I was given the duty of handing out the invitation cards for people in Ahmedabad. Well, right at the gate of Maninagar RSS office, I met Narendra bhai. I took out the invite with his name written on it and handed it to him but he asked me to keep it back in my bag. Then he said to me “Please give the invite to Prant Pracharak first, who is sitting on the top floor and then handover my invitation card to me. We must strictly conform to the hierarchy and respect people for their designation.” This too was a learning for me.

OF THIRST & ECONOMICS - Dr Sonal Mehta, Madhya Pradesh

What I am sharing today is from 2013. My parents and my family were visiting me in Gujarat and we planned a visit to Narendra Modi Sir. Modi sir is very prudent and is very economical. Why I am saying this is because even when a glass of water is offered to him, he asks for his glass to be filled up only as much as he is thirsty. That day the glasses, however, had been filled up and I offered that glass of water to him. He did not refuse to take the glass from me; instead, he took a fresh glass and poured a little water for himself in the other glass, leaving the rest untouched. And when he observed a slightly questioning look on my face, he explained “I am thirsty for only this much water. So why must I waste the entire glass of water?” Everything he does is a lesson to be learnt for those observing him. At every step he ensures that economy is maintained and nothing gets wasted.

MAXIMISATION - Dr Tej Bahadur Singh Chauhan, BJP Leader, Madhya Pradesh

Modiji then said “Do you think the results of this exercise are in proportion to the hard work you are putting in? I don’t think you are getting the desired results. He then asked me “Are there autorickshaws in the city?” I replied in the affirmative. Then he suggested that if we place 50 flags on different autorickshaws and these autos move all over city, it would be much more effective in bringing the BJP flag visibility. This he said will be a better way to publicize the party. And then, following his usual Socratic method of discourse, he asked me “What do you think about this?”

Compiled and edited by Shweta Sharma and Shashikant Sharma