The 2014 election was in many ways a watershed election in the lives of Indians.Thanks to the constant battering by the Social Medium and instant updates on every aspect and turn of the political churn leading up to the result, we lived our lives in front of the TVs, mobile in hand and a finger on the mouse, tracking every new development. The debates were the high point on every channel-- a rotating cast of speakers spewing their carefully prepared viewpoints and shouting down the other panellists. From two or three persons, we suddenly had a dozen squeezed into tiny dovecotes while the anchor ruled.
That's when we realised that the voters were being had by all the actors concerned.Each moment we became angry, confused, elated and plain flummoxed. Quietly and resolutely, the worm turned and voted in the most surprising mandate ever in India's election history. With just 44 seats in the Lok Sabha, Congress could not even hope to have the leader of opposition given to them. They are still whining and grinding their teeth at the 'injustice' done to them.
The results mowed down several stalwarts and the centre stage certainly had new actors, new faces and an abrupt change of perspective. The new slogans came fast and thick-- Maximum Governance, Minimum Government, No freebies, Work to deadlines, New work culture, new accountability.
On 15th August 2014, we sat down to absorb another boring monotonous speech at Red Fort. But this time there was something refreshing, a PM who spoke with feeling, whose words resonated with the lay public and who actually infused enthusiasm in us.
Make in India, send to the world? A focus on quality-- zero defect--, and call to respect women.Here was another chacha laying down a vastly different work ethic.
Suddenly we are seeing a massive induction of modern weaponry into our moribund Navy. The army is getting its share after a looooong wait. In just 100 days, India has witnessed developments we never imagined. Examples are the new found belligerence against Pakistan, arms length distance to domestic criminal probes as the culprits are hauled in, clearing the cobwebs to fast track industrial growth. We will see more in the future months.
Let us look forward to resolution of other longstanding bottlenecks to development, the rejuvenation of education system, the overhaul of planning apparatus, the kickstarting of greenfield projects mired in procedural issues and the promise of a better quality of life.
This month end, we will see India's Space Programme touch Mars, albeit with the smallest budget ever in history. India's Mars Orbiter Mission ( MOM) or Mangalyaan is not just a technology demonstrator, but also an announcement that poor India, that is Bharat, can rise above expectations and deliver. It feels every Indian's heart with pride and opens the window to further and more ambitious ventures in every direction.
And why not?
That's when we realised that the voters were being had by all the actors concerned.Each moment we became angry, confused, elated and plain flummoxed. Quietly and resolutely, the worm turned and voted in the most surprising mandate ever in India's election history. With just 44 seats in the Lok Sabha, Congress could not even hope to have the leader of opposition given to them. They are still whining and grinding their teeth at the 'injustice' done to them.
The results mowed down several stalwarts and the centre stage certainly had new actors, new faces and an abrupt change of perspective. The new slogans came fast and thick-- Maximum Governance, Minimum Government, No freebies, Work to deadlines, New work culture, new accountability.
On 15th August 2014, we sat down to absorb another boring monotonous speech at Red Fort. But this time there was something refreshing, a PM who spoke with feeling, whose words resonated with the lay public and who actually infused enthusiasm in us.
Make in India, send to the world? A focus on quality-- zero defect--, and call to respect women.Here was another chacha laying down a vastly different work ethic.
Suddenly we are seeing a massive induction of modern weaponry into our moribund Navy. The army is getting its share after a looooong wait. In just 100 days, India has witnessed developments we never imagined. Examples are the new found belligerence against Pakistan, arms length distance to domestic criminal probes as the culprits are hauled in, clearing the cobwebs to fast track industrial growth. We will see more in the future months.
Let us look forward to resolution of other longstanding bottlenecks to development, the rejuvenation of education system, the overhaul of planning apparatus, the kickstarting of greenfield projects mired in procedural issues and the promise of a better quality of life.
This month end, we will see India's Space Programme touch Mars, albeit with the smallest budget ever in history. India's Mars Orbiter Mission ( MOM) or Mangalyaan is not just a technology demonstrator, but also an announcement that poor India, that is Bharat, can rise above expectations and deliver. It feels every Indian's heart with pride and opens the window to further and more ambitious ventures in every direction.
And why not?
