India: a new tryst with destiny

[Naina_Marbus]

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Some time back, there was a thread labeled "India: a tryst with destiny"

That thread is closed. I think we should start anew:

For a start, read this article:
http://www.theguardian.com/global/2014/may/18/india-narendra-modi-election-destiny

16 May2014, must go down in history as the day when Britain finally left India. Narendra Modi's victory in the elections marks the end of a long era in which the structures of power did not differ greatly from those through which Britain ruled India. India under the Congress party was in many ways a continuation of the British Raj by other means.

The India till today was centralized, garrisoned, culturally constricted, and ruled by a relatively small elite whose attitude toward the masses was alternately benevolent and exploitative but never inclusive. Universal suffrage gave Indiansa vote but not, at least for much of the time, a voice. When that voice was occasionally heard, as it was in 1977 in the elections that followed the disastrously unpopular Emergency declared by Indira Gandhi, there could be a sudden sense of its almost volcanic capacity to remake the political landscape, but such moments were rare.

Now that voice has been heard again. It has endorsed a new kind of leader in the shape of Mr Modi. He is from the lower castes. He is not a natural English speaker.

- continued below
http://www.theguardian.com/global/2014/may/18/india-narendra-modi-election-destiny

 

[biswa]

The expectations seem to be sky high for Modi.

 

[Naina_Marbus]

_continued

….that voice has announced a new kind of India.

In the old India the poor were there to be helped, when the elite remembered to do so or when they needed to seek or, in effect, to buy votes. The middling classes were taken for granted and sometimes snubbed. The new India, most observers agree, is not interested in handouts, and refuses to be snubbed.

Instead it wants the obstacles it sees as impeding its aspirations swept away. It has discarded the deference it displayed toward the Gandhi family and toward the Anglicized or, these days, Americanized top levels of society.

Congress has lost its magic, even though the party includes some profoundly decent and well-intentioned people.

….The.. underlying changes in Indian society have brought us Mr Modi and not the other way round.

He sensed a great shift in mood and played to it.

…He has an unexpectedly large mandate..

…Whatever else he is or is not, Mr Modi is a gifted politician. We must hope that he understands that his new India will sooner or later hold him to account.

 

[tks]

Most of the opinion pieces and news coverage from West are actually tainted and lack journalistic integrity. Some are misinformed or recycle their pet ideas.

The best that can happen for Modi and his government is to ignore these side shows including the writings of subservient Indian media.

I have confidence that the new Government will demand Indians to be loyal to India first before being loyal to their religion first.

If the focus of the policies are on economic growth, chasing out large scale corruption and insisting on 'India first before allegiance to any religion/caste/community' then there truly will be a golden era for India for next many decades

 

[Naina_Marbus]

IMO,

Shouldn't the day of reckoning be 16 May 2014 and not 18 May 2014 as the Guardian states?

 

[tbs]

The expectations seem to be sky high for Modi.

hi

i agreed the same....too much expectations....is it practical?.....like AAP govt in delhi.......wait and see....


வளர்ச்சிப் பாதையில் இந்தியாவை இட்டுச் செல்லவும், ஊழலற்ற திறமையான நிர்வாகத்தை உறுதி செய்யவும் சூளுரைத்திருக்கிறார் பிரதமராகத் தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட இருக்கும் நரேந்திர மோடி. நாடாளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர்களும், அவர் அமைக்க இருக்கும் அமைச்சரவை சகாக்களும் அதற்கு ஒத்துழைப்புத் தந்தால்தான் அது சாத்தியமாகும்...

quoted from dinamani.....


http://www.dinamani.com/editorial/2014/05/20/யார்-மீது-தவறு/article2234391.ece

 

[biswa]

hi

i agreed the same....too much expectations....is it practical?.....like AAP govt in delhi.......wait and see....

Similar to expectations from the Obama administration. At least Obama delivered something, maybe 40% of what was promised.

 

[tbs]

Similar to expectations from the Obama administration. At least Obama delivered something, maybe 40% of what was promised.

hi

in the first term obama is different from second term.....ONLY CHANGE HAPPENED....MEANS BUSH WAS CHANGED BY OBAMA,,,

his favorite pgme IMMIGRATION REFORM is not yet over....OBAMA CARE WAS NOT 100% SUCCESSFUL.....it has a lot of struggles

still there....

 

[renuka]

I just wish the Indian media should stop addressing the caste of their new PM.

Whether the PM is from the 1st Varna or he is from the 4th Varna..he is the PM. He is Indian and thats all there is to it..why drag caste in?

It is high time Indians stop calling anyone be it Brahmin or Dalit by their caste..it paints a very bad picture of Indian in other countries to be still calling a PM by his caste.

Even though I was not too fond of Narendra Modi at one time cos he did not stay with his wife but otherwise I feel he deserves the respect of the nation to see him as your leader and not call him by his caste whatever it may be..cos I personally feel his mind transcends petty differences of caste and creed.

 

[Naina_Marbus]

Most of the opinion pieces and news coverage from West are actually tainted and lack journalistic integrity. Some are misinformed or recycle their pet ideas.....

You are absolutely right. Misinformation, either intentional and deliberate, or because of slovenly and incompetent reporting to beat deadlines, is the most serious problem about which we should constantly be vigilant and alert. If time permits, I will later post an example of one reporter for the NY Times, stationed in Delhi, recently making a slovenly misinformed report lacking in journalistic integrity.

 

[vgane]

Narendra Modi shall deliver..That's hope of millions of Indians ...As a first step he is trying to look at the decisions of the previous UPA Government and look at the gross judgement errors in decision making to see if they can be reversed or corrected..First you correct the mistakes in decision making before making the next 5 years plan..It is like a professional project manager reviewing the gaps in last implementation to look at the opportunities for learning! I like this approach!

 

[tks]

I just wish the Indian media should stop addressing the caste of their new PM.

Whether the PM is from the 1st Varna or he is from the 4th Varna..he is the PM. He is Indian and thats all there is to it..why drag caste in?

It is high time Indians stop calling anyone be it Brahmin or Dalit by their caste..it paints a very bad picture of Indian in other countries to be still calling a PM by his caste.

Even though I am not too fond of Narendra Modi cos he did not stay with his wife but otherwise I feel he deserves the respect of the nation to see him as your leader and not call him by his caste whatever it may be..cos I personally feel his mind transcends petty differences of caste and creed.

To me caste or where he was born in India or where he lived etc are just information no different than a name.
I hope over time we just accept whatever caste name someone says as just a name rather than try to add any meta information to it.

I hope we do not confuse Varna and caste (not want to start a caste discussion - there are many threads on this).

So my suggestion is that let the media or anyone use whatever description they want for the PM. What he represents is the hope of hundreds of millions that have voted for him.

 

[renuka]

To me caste or where he was born in India or where he lived etc are just information no different than a name.
I hope over time we just accept whatever caste name someone says as just a name rather than try to add any meta information to it.

I hope we do not confuse Varna and caste (not want to start a caste discussion - there are many threads on this).

So my suggestion is that let the media or anyone use whatever description they want for the PM. What he represents is the hope of hundreds of millions that have voted for him.

I know that in an Indian scenario its ok to call people by their caste/community but the Indian media needs to be responsible enough to think of impact created overseas.

They should just address the PM as an Indian and stop there.

I am not planning to discuss or convert this thread to a caste debate..thats not my intention at all..all I am saying is Indian media should be beyond petty differences of caste and creeds and be watchful of impressions created overseas.

What is so hard to see a PM as just an Indian without dragging in his caste?

 

[tks]

I know that in an Indian scenario its ok to call people by their caste/community but the Indian media needs to be responsible enough to think of impact created overseas.

They should just address the PM as an Indian and stop there.

I am not planning to discuss or convert this thread to a caste debate..thats not my intention at all..all I am saying is Indian media should be beyond petty differences of caste and creeds and be watchful of impressions created overseas.

What is so hard to see a PM as just an Indian without dragging in his caste?

The caste is a unnecessary label that really has no meaning - it is not about Varna or not about a profession or not about anything meaningful (except for possible advantage because of Government considerations or lack of considerations).

But it cannot go away. An alternative is to embrace it in my view. The word Black to describe 'African Americans' was not all that positive some years ago - today it is accepted and respectable. In the same sense perhaps caste as another designation can just become routine.

Now if someone from another country speaks with any kind of derogatory attitude I will tell them that the greatness of India is that several 100 million people of all kinds of classification elected him which makes both the PM and Indian people great. I will use this opportunity to teach them if they are serious. If they are flippant types I will know how to answer such people as well.

Many in Indian media and many in Western media still keep citing 2002 riots with all kinds of innuendos while trying to act neutral. The media have to be called out for their unprofessional reporting bringing extraneous information to provide a slanted view. But I could not care less what some ignorant people in other countries think. If they are mature they will understand and can be taught. If they are ignorant best is to not deal with them or tell them off.

I really think it is time for India to act as a leader in the world of nations and not kowtow to all these foreign press or people. I hope under Modi's leadership India begins to act as the leader of the new world. If Modi's caste or whatever classification (chai wallah) be mentioned that will become like a badge of honor.

The Indian public elected such a person knowing the details and it does speak great of India in this instance

 

[renuka]

The Indian public elected such a person knowing the details and it does speak great of India in this instance

Let me give you an example..when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the PM ..the media never went on and on saying he is a Brahmin.

He was just known as Atal Bihari Vajpayee..at the most they mentioned that he is a bachelor.

His caste was never a topic of discussion..but with Modi..non stop his caste is being mentioned by the media..I feel the media should just drop talking about caste of their PMs.

 

[tks]

Let me give you an example..when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the PM ..the media never went on and on saying he is a Brahmin.

He was just known as Atal Bihari Vajpayee..at the most they mentioned that he is a bachelor.

His caste was never a topic of discussion..but with Modi..non stop his caste is being mentioned by the media..I feel the media should just drop talking about caste of their PMs.

In my book , Non-vegetarianism and brahmin label does not go together. Vajpayee was a non-veg type from what I heard. I could not care less what he ate actually or what he called himself (Brahmin or whatever). If media called out such details or did not I could not care less.

Indian media does not hold any special admiration in my mind.

Media along with corrupt congress with their influence in media has done everything to hit this fellow but he still got elected in an enormous margin.
My take is, it is best to ignore and not give so much importance to what caste labels are reported (or not). Much of this irrelevant anyway going forward at least as far as effectiveness of PM Modi as a leader is concerned. Modi will define himself in the national scene by his leadership over time.

President Obama embraced his father's last name and his given name - changed Barry to a Muslim name Barrack.
He got elected (now twice). Many in redneck areas thought they will destroy him by calling out his middle name etc. In the end, now many kids are being named Barrack.

I think let us embrace all of what the new PM is defined as he defines himself and give him a chance to succeed and ignore media people who will get more and more sidelined in the world of Internet era

 

[Naina_Marbus]

Let me give you an example..when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the PM ..the media never went on and on saying he is a Brahmin.

He was just known as Atal Bihari Vajpayee..at the most they mentioned that he is a bachelor.

His caste was never a topic of discussion..but with Modi..non stop his caste is being mentioned by the media..I feel the media should just drop talking about caste of their PMs.

These media guys emulate their Western colleagues. Take for example the USA. If a white man is elected as President, no media journalist will ever refer to his race. But, if a black person is elected, as in the case of Obama, the media goes bonkers, constantly reminding people of his race. This is why I feel that the majority of Indian journalists are so disgustingly anti-Hindu and anti-Indian. They all get their orgasm when they are quoted by The New York Times or The Washington Post.

 

[Vaagmi]

1. India's middle caste lump is so resourceful that it can use caste as a weapon to fight progress. The Mulayams, the Lalus, the Nitishes-yadavs, baniyas,the kurmis and Takurs , for the first time have come to face a person from among them as the PM but speaking a different language. Modi never swears by his caste-in fact most of the citizens in the country do not even know his caste. So I like him as the PM. I wish him well.

2. Even if Modi is brahmin what is wrong with that?

3. Modi should once for all brush aside the hatred opium distributors and make it legally difficult for any one to call any one else by a caste. Caste is personal like sex is personal. No need to declare in every form and application what is your preference.

4. Once a person's social background is verified by Govt. machineries and he is found to be in need of incentives and concessions he should be included in the "eligible for positive discrimination category". Others who do not qualify should be called Non eligible category. There is no need to know whether he is a dalit, a kurmi, a yadav, a chanar, a bhangi, a viswakarma, a vanniyar, a thevar or a brahmin or what you have.

5. Modi comes from the RSS background and that should help him achieve his mission. His poll campaign had been flawless and well thought out. He had chosen the right kind of people, gave them the resources, time and space to perform, guided them in crises and led from the front tirelessly. These are qualities of a good leader. Hope the caste opium peddlers do not tie him down in wasteful encounters.

6. My motherland, India is well endowed with natural resources, human talent, a favourable climate and a value system and tradition which is far superior to any in the world. Modi has got the rare opportunity to take it to further heights. Let us wish him good luck in his endeavor.

 

[sarang]

Media must be banned from mentioning religion or caste of anybody in peace time and riot time. When majority of indians have made these issues irrelevant in voting for modi and nda, only the media is seeking communal politics even when it is not there.

I just wish the Indian media should stop addressing the caste of their new PM.

 

[sarang]

He has got the priorities first. He said first clean Kashi, then clean ganga.

Narendra Modi shall deliver..That's hope of millions of Indians ...As a first step he is trying to look at the decisions of the previous UPA Government and look at the gross judgement errors in decision making to see if they can be reversed or corrected..First you correct the mistakes in decision making before making the next 5 years plan..It is like a professional project manager reviewing the gaps in last implementation to look at the opportunities for learning! I like this approach!

 

[mkrishna100]

The following is a piece of writeup I found on FB by a lady monk Nidhi Chaitanya from Chinmaya Mission ,Mumbai and I felt it worth sharing here . Every Indian must read this and get inspired to lift their own standards in whatever field they are in and only by that way we can make the task of Sri Narender Modi to take the country to greater heights be possible .


When the Prime Minister of a country declares himself Majdooor No.1, then the people of that country MUST slog it out in whatever work they are doing. This man travelled over 3,00,000 kms, held 5827 public meetings in 25 states, besides 1350 3-D rallies and 4000 Chai pe Charcha since September 15, reaching out to around 10 crore people directly and many more through internet, TV and other virtual and mass media. The Prime Minister's day begins at 5am with Yoga, Pranayam & Exercise, and is obviously packed with work - sometimes going well past midnight. He has NEVER taken a vacation or a holiday in all his years as the Gujarat Chief Minister. This success is a result of years of austerity, magnificent hard work and unimaginable daily sacrifices. We are all celebrating Narendra Modi's success. But his real success would be when each and every Indian gets committed to his own work with this kind of unprecedented fervor. Roll up your sleeves and work hard. Let's join Majdoor No.1 and make India World's No.1! The fragrance of our sweat will yield gardens of prosperity and peace in our beloved Motherland. Democracy is not Narendra Modi. Democracy is of the people, by the people, for the people. Without the people, even NaMo can't. Our responsibility is not over because we voted him to power. Our responsibility has begun now. We have complained for decades that we don't have an able leader. Today we have an ideal leader. Let us now be ideal players. For next 5 years, if NaMo, you and i keep the hardwork going, India will be unstoppable. Let's do it again people. Work extra hours in office, show extra-ordinary results, do more than your seniors expect, perform better than your job demands, deliver before the deadline, expect no follow-ups, go out of your way for your duties, be nobler than the law needs, love more than the world asks, help more than you are being helped, serve better than you can even imagine service to be, learn more than you require to learn, exercise daily, be incredibly disciplined. In short, be like Narendra Modi! Then, we will truly MODIfy India. Get ready India, you now have a leader whose spirit must NOT allow you to rest any more. It is not just Narendra Modi, but it is all of us who have come to power yesterday. We now have 5 years. Wake Up, Get Up and Show it to the World! Vande Mataram!

 

[dvrrajakumar]

TV news channel "Modi Snubs MPs"
Actually Modi told MPs not to think about ministry post but think about bettering party. So anything can be twisted by our TV news channels.

Prof.D.V.R.Rajakumar

 

[tks]

The following is a piece of writeup I found on FB by a lady monk Nidhi Chaitanya from Chinmaya Mission ,Mumbai and I felt it worth sharing here . Every Indian must read this and get inspired to lift their own standards in whatever field they are in and only by that way we can make the task of Sri Narender Modi to take the country to greater heights be possible .


When the Prime Minister of a country declares himself Majdooor No.1, then the people of that country MUST slog it out in whatever work they are doing. This man travelled over 3,00,000 kms, held 5827 public meetings in 25 states, besides 1350 3-D rallies and 4000 Chai pe Charcha since September 15, reaching out to around 10 crore people directly and many more through internet, TV and other virtual and mass media. The Prime Minister's day begins at 5am with Yoga, Pranayam & Exercise, and is obviously packed with work - sometimes going well past midnight. He has NEVER taken a vacation or a holiday in all his years as the Gujarat Chief Minister. This success is a result of years of austerity, magnificent hard work and unimaginable daily sacrifices. We are all celebrating Narendra Modi's success. But his real success would be when each and every Indian gets committed to his own work with this kind of unprecedented fervor. Roll up your sleeves and work hard. Let's join Majdoor No.1 and make India World's No.1! The fragrance of our sweat will yield gardens of prosperity and peace in our beloved Motherland. Democracy is not Narendra Modi. Democracy is of the people, by the people, for the people. Without the people, even NaMo can't. Our responsibility is not over because we voted him to power. Our responsibility has begun now. We have complained for decades that we don't have an able leader. Today we have an ideal leader. Let us now be ideal players. For next 5 years, if NaMo, you and i keep the hardwork going, India will be unstoppable. Let's do it again people. Work extra hours in office, show extra-ordinary results, do more than your seniors expect, perform better than your job demands, deliver before the deadline, expect no follow-ups, go out of your way for your duties, be nobler than the law needs, love more than the world asks, help more than you are being helped, serve better than you can even imagine service to be, learn more than you require to learn, exercise daily, be incredibly disciplined. In short, be like Narendra Modi! Then, we will truly MODIfy India. Get ready India, you now have a leader whose spirit must NOT allow you to rest any more. It is not just Narendra Modi, but it is all of us who have come to power yesterday. We now have 5 years. Wake Up, Get Up and Show it to the World! Vande Mataram!

Thanks for sharing a very appropriate piece of information!

 

[tbs]

The following is a piece of writeup I found on FB by a lady monk Nidhi Chaitanya from Chinmaya Mission ,Mumbai and I felt it worth sharing here . Every Indian must read this and get inspired to lift their own standards in whatever field they are in and only by that way we can make the task of Sri Narender Modi to take the country to greater heights be possible .


When the Prime Minister of a country declares himself Majdooor No.1, then the people of that country MUST slog it out in whatever work they are doing. This man travelled over 3,00,000 kms, held 5827 public meetings in 25 states, besides 1350 3-D rallies and 4000 Chai pe Charcha since September 15, reaching out to around 10 crore people directly and many more through internet, TV and other virtual and mass media. The Prime Minister's day begins at 5am with Yoga, Pranayam & Exercise, and is obviously packed with work - sometimes going well past midnight. He has NEVER taken a vacation or a holiday in all his years as the Gujarat Chief Minister. This success is a result of years of austerity, magnificent hard work and unimaginable daily sacrifices. We are all celebrating Narendra Modi's success. But his real success would be when each and every Indian gets committed to his own work with this kind of unprecedented fervor. Roll up your sleeves and work hard. Let's join Majdoor No.1 and make India World's No.1! The fragrance of our sweat will yield gardens of prosperity and peace in our beloved Motherland. Democracy is not Narendra Modi. Democracy is of the people, by the people, for the people. Without the people, even NaMo can't. Our responsibility is not over because we voted him to power. Our responsibility has begun now. We have complained for decades that we don't have an able leader. Today we have an ideal leader. Let us now be ideal players. For next 5 years, if NaMo, you and i keep the hardwork going, India will be unstoppable. Let's do it again people. Work extra hours in office, show extra-ordinary results, do more than your seniors expect, perform better than your job demands, deliver before the deadline, expect no follow-ups, go out of your way for your duties, be nobler than the law needs, love more than the world asks, help more than you are being helped, serve better than you can even imagine service to be, learn more than you require to learn, exercise daily, be incredibly disciplined. In short, be like Narendra Modi! Then, we will truly MODIfy India. Get ready India, you now have a leader whose spirit must NOT allow you to rest any more. It is not just Narendra Modi, but it is all of us who have come to power yesterday. We now have 5 years. Wake Up, Get Up and Show it to the World! Vande Mataram!

hi

nice write up....i like it........a real success of a country in the ppl's hands......last 67 years........india had different mode....

political maturity required to rule the country....i like to quote from the above paragraphs...i like it....


Democracy is of the people, by the people, for the people. Without the people, even NaMo can't. Our responsibility is not

over because we voted him to power.

 

[prasad1]

NaMo says will live for the poor; hails previous government:

Giving up his UPA-bashing poll campaign rhetoric, prime minister-designate Narendra Modi on Tuesday thanked previous governments and their leaders for taking the country forward, and stated that his government would “hear” and “live” for the poor—in an apparent attempt to balance his pro-corporate image.


Addressing newly-elected BJP MPs, who in turn chose him as their leader, Modi said he would not put down previous governments as poor performers. On the contrary, he thanked his predecessors for taking the country forward.


This was in stark contrast to the direct potshots he took at outgoing prime minister Manmohan Singh, accusing him of holding back the country's prosperity due to policy paralysis and deep-rooted graft, that manifested in big-ticket scams like those in 2G spectrum and coal-block allocation.


Throughout his speech, Modi perhaps attempted to appear as a politician different from how he is perceived. He again played up his humble background, fought to hold back tears in an emotional moment, thanked senior leaders for giving him the opportunity to become prime minister and assured the nation that he was aware of the responsibility vested in him due to the huge mandate that the BJP got.


“By giving the BJP absolute majority, people have voted for hope and faith. The common man’s faith in democracy has been reinforced; this is a big thing for any nation,” he said.