PRIME Minister Mr. Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the historic Red Fort proved to be an expression of the vision for New India, encompassing not just a wide array of issues but also highlighting what India actually stood for -- as a society, as a nation. Even as Mr. Modi underlined the importance of a homogenous and harmonious society, he insisted upon the process of nation-building from the core -- that is every Indian individual. He appealed to every Indian person to take care of self and the immediate family and then the larger society. In the humdrum of politics that generally dominates the discourse these days, such an appeal to fundamental values that govern good life, was rare. Even as Mr. Modi spoke of all those, the detail of importance of water as a precious and dwindling natural resource did not miss his attention. This approach to looking at the current condition does not come to a politician so easily.

 

 

In his 93-minute speech, the Prime Minister opened his heart out to the people of India and of the larger world, defining the manner in which he looked at things. He did emphasise issues like Kashmir or terrorism or corruption as evils that needed an urgent and serious tackling. But there was nothing political about his statement. The fine oration that emerged on the 73rd Independence Day, thus, proved to be a document that encompassed his and the Government’s idea of India for the present and for the future. It did refer to policy all right, but Mr. Modi stressed more on philosophy underlining the country’s persona in the present, complex world. The entire statement appeared enriched by a non-partisan discourse that went far beyond immediate political gains or losses.

 

 

Even as we give a deep consideration to the Prime Minister’s speech, we do not miss the sharp contrast presented by Pakistan Prime Minister Mr. Imran Khan in his country’s foundation day message. Except for a couple of stray notations about Pakistan, Mr. Imran Khan focused his attention on Kashmir and India, as if those were his sole considerations and concerns. He indulged, of course totally wrongly, in talking about what India was doing internally, and ignored the difficult issues his country was facing for years.

 

 

The world did not miss the contrast, and noted how wonderfully focused Mr. Narendra Modi was on his sixth Independence Day address in a row on the idea of India and how he desires to shape its present and build its future. In the context of the momentous events of current times, the Prime Minister’s statement came as an important document of policy and philosophy, presenting to the nation and the world what they can expect the country to look like in the times ahead.

 

 

This ideation has been the special dimension of Mr. Modi’s personality. He is not just a doer, but a deep thinker as well. By that standard, he is not a run-of-the-mill politician, but a statesman who has meditated deeply about the nation and its issues and its place in the world. And what gives a special tone to his personality is the compassion he feels for the compatriots and also the other people elsewhere in the world.

 

 

All these dimensions fountained from his speech that came immediately after two major constitutional victories the Prime Minister scored -- the law on Instant Triple Talaq and abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution of India in Kashmir, which he himself described as the most important event since Independence. The nation and the world waited eagerly to listen to the Prime Minister’s views in the light of the recent developments, and Mr. Modi rose to the occasion, proving himself more than equal to the task of being India’s Prime Minister in tumultuous times.