‘HISTORIC’ is the only word that can describe accurately the speech of Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi from the ramparts of the Red Fort in the national capital to mark Independence Day. The length of the speech was of less importance. What mattered most was its depth of thought and commitment the Prime Minister expressed towards the larger idea of India -- for the next 1000 years. When he was replying to the Motion of No Confidence in the Parliament, Mr. Narendra Modi had talked of the concept of ‘1000 years’. But from the Red Fort, standing under the National Flag, Mr. Modi talked of the next 1000 years on the basis of his assessment of how the nation had travelled through one thousand years of immediate history. In other words, the Prime Minister took a vast range of 2000 years of the story of India. ‘What we do today will impact the next 1000 years’, he said, referring to various innovative ideas his Government has implemented in the past nine years.

 

Though it might have been difficult for some to fathom the bandwidth of the Prime Minister’s thought-process, the common people in the country understood the importance of Mr. Modi’s assertion -- thus clearly demonstrating the intimate connect the Prime Minister has achieved with the masses as well as classes of the larger Indian society. There, of course, were some political statements coming from the Prime Minister. But when the nation has already slipped into the election mode, such statements cannot be an anathema. But what actually mattered most was the guidelines the Prime Minister provided to the nation on how to think about the idea of India and how to work to realise it. Yet, Mr. Modi’s expression simple and intelligible to everybody, except for the political community in the Opposition camp. He used simple but powerful expressions. He adhered to his usual anecdotal-conversational style as usual, and ensured that each of his words went deep into India’s popular consciousness.

 

The purpose was not to bombard the nation with bombastic expressions, but to communicate to everybody what his vision was for the country during the Amrit Kaal and the ensuing 1000 years. Of course, true to his spirit of supreme confidence in his own ideas and performance of the last nine years, Mr. Narendra Modi assured the nation once again that the next year, too, he would deliver the Independence Day address from the Red Fort. He also did not miss telling the nation that in the next some time, India would be among the top three economies of the world. Though the people had heard those assertions before, they nevertheless cheered the Prime Minister as he uttered those words -- again demonstrating what kind of reception he has often got from the people for his ideas and oratory.

 

The core message of Mr. Modi’s speech, however, was that the nation must celebrate its own collective capabilities to achieve great things that looked so out of bounds for India until recently. He used expressions such as ‘your capabilities, ‘your aspirations’, ‘your resolutions’, ‘your achievements’ -- highlight just a few. But as the Prime Minister indulged in his 90-minute message to the nation, he used an altogether new expression for the people -- ‘my dear family-members’ (Mere pyare parivarjan... ), indicating in the most clear terms that he addressing the large family of India of which he happened to be the head. Very rarely do national leaders in politics use such expressions! Many in political Opposition may have something adverse to say about the Prime Minister’s address to the nation. No matter that, the common people appeared to have loved the address for its simplicity of expression and intensity of emotion. For, it synced well with what they feel about India.