Three years ago in 2014, Narendra Modi was the technicolour TV spectacle, evoking awe. He was Hindu Hriday Samrat and Development Man rolled into one. He spearheaded an electoral blitzkrieg that flattened his opponents, stunned onlookers and gave birth to thousands of bhakts. The Modi fan club easily rivalled the adoring cults surrounding superstars Rajnikant or Amitabh Bachchan. Indians feel powerless in their daily lives and thus worship demonstrations of power. Modi embodied the powerful strongman, striding energetically on the national stage, arms akimbo, roaring, exhorting, telling jokes, intimidating yet droll, even as an orchestra of `Modi! Modi!’rose up behind him wherever he went. With the ‘Gujarat Model’ under his belt, when he thundered, “Achhe Din are coming,” most Read More
