Thanks to the immense sacrifices made by numerous Indian freedom fighters, I grew up in an independent, democratic India. We had a subject in school called ‘Civic Science’ that taught me how democracy works – how voters elect representatives and the political party that has a majority gets to form the government.
And yet, for most of my adult life, I could never find a direct connection between the voting process and standard of living. I knew it was possible in theory, I just never saw it happen in practice. As a result, while I voted to fulfill my duty, I was not actively interested in Indian politics. As a kid, I always heard grown ups talking about the dismal state of affairs in the country, followed by a resigned “Well, what can you do?” I had unconsciously adopted the same attitude.
When the gruesome 26/11 terrorist attack on Mumbai happened in 2008, I was a post-doc in France and watched the horror on internet. When it was finally over, and India did not respond in a proactive manner, I accepted it. In hindsight, I am appalled at myself as to why I, as a citizen, accepted this situation so easily. It was the same “Well, what can you do?” attitude that I grew up with.
Things started changing few years back. The changes were small at first, like when I used to see Gen Z Indians paying through their phone – kudos to them for embracing the tech early. Finally, I succumbed and tried it myself. I was astonished to see how easy it was to make digital payments. It opened my eyes and I began to realize the tremendous revolution that was taking place in India in the last decade.
Take the economy, for instance. I used to watch videos of Dr. Raghuram Rajan Ji and I used to believe in his criticisms. I am not an economist. He has impeccable credentials; he is the ex-governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Surely, his concerns must be valid. Right? It was a pleasent surprise when against his predictions, India became the fifth largest and the fastest growing economy. It was around that time that I began to question my assumptions. I have great respect for former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji but the fact remains that during his two tenures, India remained at the 11th spot in the list of largest economies.
The changes happening in India did not happen by themselves. It was the visionary leadership of PM Modi Ji that brought about this path breaking transformation. I began to realize the deep thought that went into all of his decisions, with a vision for a grand future. Take for instance, the welfare system. The problem of money getting lost through bureaucratic channels has been an achilles hill ever since the inception of welfare schemes in India. Imagine how relieved the beneficiaries must be when they receive the full amount in their bank accounts via Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT). Inherent in this is the fact that the poor are now allowed to have bank accounts in the first place, that was not possible earlier.
Signs of progress are everywhere. As Modi Ji said in one of his speeches, Indian newspapers and magazines are now routinely carrying news about Indian triumphs in every area, be it the SEBI announcement of T+0 settlement – the first of its kind in the world or major developments in the Green Hydrogen project or Indians winning Gold in various athletic events. The last one was unthinkable in the last century. Even the way Indians carry themselves and are aware of who they are shows tremendous confidence.
To be fair, I did browse through the Congress manifesto to see what proposals have been offered. I am not an economist or a policy planning expert who can weigh the pros and cons of all the proposals. But I did come across two questions in the introduction that I can answer. Is your life better than it was in 2014 and is your mind without fear? I can answer both questions with a resounding yes. Digital infrastructure and 5G internet have made my life so much easier. And for the first time in my adult life, I feel excited about the future of India.
Modi Ji visits Pune
Pune is merely 150 kms from Mumbai and has a rich history with great contributions to the freedom movement. With its impressive array of educational and research institutes, Pune is famous as an academic center.
The last PM to visit Pune was Indira Gandhi Ji in 1972. So Modi Ji visiting Pune in 2024 was a big deal. As mentioned before, I had been agnostic about Indian politics for most of my adult life so this would be the first election rally that I would attend.
I was also curious about people’s reactions. I always read opinions of political analysts and pundits; now I wanted to see the reaction of the common man who will get the maximum benefits from good governance.
The huge crowd that had gathered irrupted in celebration as soon as they spotted Modi Ji’s helicopter. The welcome he received had to be seen to be believed. This is the reason why he remains the most popular leader in the world, much to the envy of other world leaders.
While sitting in the rally and while walking back from the venue, I kept hearing people talking excitedly about him. How he works non-stop, how he has not taken a vacation in 10 years or how he can manage the hectic election schedule amidst a heat wave. The fact that he decided to visit Pune was also a big talking point.
The vibe from the crowd was unmistakable. It showed complete confidence in the leadership of PM Modi Ji and his vision of making India a developed nation by 2047.
