Phool Kumari mortgaged her ‘mangalsutra’ to construct a toilet in her house at Rohtas in Bihar following which the district administration made her the brand ambassador of total sanitation programme recognising her effort. She also braved the opposition of male members of her family. Yet she stood firm and won.
Chaitali Ghalake, a 20-year-old girl from Akola, Maharashtra, insisted that her parents gift her a toilet on her wedding. She was contacting her would be husband to build one, but he was not so forthcoming. She had set a condition before her parents that she would marry only if they provided a toilet, to her as her in-law’s residence didn’t have one.
And all of them say -- they were emboldened to take on the fossilised mindset of men and powered by the Modi speak--"build toilets, that’s more important than building temples".
There are innumerable such amazing stories across India. Each story has a common thread -- Modi. I was in Ladakh to inaugurate the Jan Dhan scheme. The Buddhist women, coming from as long a distance as a hundred kilometres from the bank, were thrilled to see their signatures on a piece of paper-- the bank account opening form, for the first time in their life. And everyone was talking about Modi.
Modi is bringing changes in the lives of millions through his speeches- which he delivers from his heart and the impact is felt in homes, schools, colleges, offices and across the continent.
It is not an exaggerated description of an ad agency, it’s the hard truth and the way we are responding to his appeals and following his life style- from yoga to Navaratri fasts and respecting old, ageing mother in spite of being busy in driving nation to newer goals , is awesome and incredible.
Never before, post-Independence the impact of a leader was felt in such a whole some manner. Of course during 1965, we had Bahadur Shastri changing our food habits, making most of us observe a weekly fast and grow vegetable, even wheat in home kitchens, balcony earthen pots and so on. But the life never felt a change as we are experiencing now. I am not sure whether Modi would be feeling the kind of change he is bringing about among in the common Indians. Take for example Swachhata- even the pre-primary kids are now cautioning their dads not to litter on roads and they know Modi is behind all this.
This is a government under him that sacks a corrupt railway employee on a tweet and inspires a large number of youth to switch to Modi - jacket instantly as a fashion statement. Wherever he had been globally, in China or Saudi Arabia and the USA, he had made sure to speak in a national language, a new trait which had never seen in any other Prime Minister so far.
How can you run or instill confidence in the people if the language used by the majority is scoffed at and relegated to the position of ‘no-good’ for higher narrative by the top guns who rule the land? His respect to the national languages has had tremendous impact on the thought process of our families in an unprecedented manner. The common question was, if Chinese can become a successful economy and make unprecedented advances in sports, medicine and engineering without a grain of English why can’t India respect its national language when less than 3 per cent are able to conduct their work in English?
He has changed the way we used to think about India, here and abroad. Look at the huge gathering collected in the USA, the UK and China, even in Saudi Arab, you greet him and to listen to him, and it will prove the Modi impact on our daily lives. Modi means business, Modi means power, Modi gives peace a whale of a chance yet doesn't hesitate to give lethal punches to an unrepentant wicked like Pakistan.
Never before, in history, not even the best days of Nehru, the Indian people abroad had ever collected in large numbers -like a Ramlila Ground rally in New York, London or Shanghai-- to honour and listen to an Indian leader.
Suddenly with Modi advent, offices are being run-on time, corruption stories have lost in no-man’s land, farmers are getting the insurance at the cheapest ever premium in the world and threatening neighbours have felt the awful consequences of irritating Modi.
India was never so confident and having fast tracked growth.
Problems, hurdles, judicial incapacities, urban life style generated unthinkable consequences etc are all true. But it all means people feel they are in the Modi rule, nothing can go wrong, even if there is a delay.
People are ready to live with delays rather than think in negative terms for Modi. That’s good , very very good. But the best contribution of Narendra Bhai has been- never be vindictive against your arch enemies, be cool and concentrate your all energies on building up new infrastructure and experiment newer ideas for the people making direct community contact with them. The expats too to learn and appreciate need this.
As Sri Aurobindo said, “India of the ages is not dead nor has she spoken her last creative word; she lives and has still something to do for herself and the human peoples.” I am of the firm belief that it’s the final golden moment for the nation. While every single other party indulging in fratricidal wars- Samajwadi comedy is too fresh, it is the BJP alone that changes presidents and holds regular party meetings with clockwork precision. We have too many stakes in seeing and assuring that Modi succeeds in bringing the derailed spectrum of governance back on the tracks. His birthday, provides us that moment to rethink and reshape our archaic thinking for the common good of all nationals.
Having seen, interacted and worked with Narendra Bhai as a fellow soldier of the ideology and the organisation for the last thirty years, I can safely say, he is the leader creating a new destiny for the billion plus people. We pray for his long and healthy life.
Guest Author
The author is an Indian author, thinker, social worker, journalist, and parliamentarian. He was the editor of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) weekly in Hindi, Panchajanya, from 1986 to February 2008.
