It’s the Modi Moment: the myth, magic and mystique of the man shone in the summer air, marking a new beginning in India’s contemporary political history. Amid pomp and magnificence that matched the stunning scale of his blockbuster electoral victory, the 63-year-old Narendra Modi, a former tea seller-turned-politician, was sworn in as the 15th prime minister of the world’s most populous democracy May 26 in front of a 4000-strong eclectic crowd at the forecourt of the famous red sandstone presidential palace in Delhi.
As the setting sun faded off into the summer night, a new political superstar shone resplendent in India, promising to usher in a new era of national renaissance and renewal. Modi, a three-time Gujarat chief minister who has morphed into a national hero on the back of a historic mandate in India’s parliamentary elections, was sworn as the prime minister of a country of 1.2 billion-plus people amid delirious cheering chants from his supporters.
Modi has taken charge of the destiny of India at a time when the Asian country is hoping to script a new chapter of hope after prolonged stagnation and misgovernance that robbed the India Story of its shine in the last few years. That the India story was back in the reckoning was evident from the presence of seven leaders of South Asian countries to fete the new leader of Asia’s third largest economy. This was the first time leaders of the region were present at the oath-taking ceremony of an Indian prime minister.
The grandeur of the inauguration ceremony was without parallel. Reflecting the collective mood of hope and new beginnings, the ceremony brought together the rich, the beautiful and the powerful of the country. It was perhaps the most eclectic collection of people at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in Lutyen’s Delhi: hordes of celebrities, corporate honchos, Bollywood stars, politicians cutting across the spectrum, paparazzi and the humble tea-seller, who proposed the name of Modi as a candidate for the parliamentary seat of Vadodara, were part of the throng that bore witness to the majestic inauguration of the new government.
Author Profile
- Manish Chand is Founder-CEO and Editor-in-Chief of India Writes Network (www.indiawrites.org) and India and World, a pioneering magazine focused on international affairs. He is CEO/Director of TGII Media Private Limited, an India-based media, publishing, research and consultancy company.
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