The New Narrative for Galaxy of Issues

History will definitely judge Narendra Modi for what he spoke about or rather what he chose not to speak about

By Tridib Raman

AUGUST 5 marked a watershed moment in the political history of India, when PM Modi performed the Bhoomi Poojan for the construction of Shree Ram Temple, in Ayodhya. The entire nation watched in awe as TV channels ensured that Bhoomi Poojan becomes the top news of the year.

There was a palpable sense of reclamation and vindication in large sections of the Hindu majority. For statistical records, August 5 also reported the highest number of daily Covid cases in the country till then. In the wee hours of the following day, a hospital in Ahmedabad caught fire in which 8 Covid patients died.

None of these news items found enough takers in TV studios as well as in larger conscience of our country. On August 7, India Today declared the result of its Mood of the Nation survey as per which an overwhelming majority, i.e two-third of the polled people had said that Narendra Modi should be the next Prime Minister of India.

Th is establishes beyond any semblance of doubt that Mr Modi has got the Midas touch – whatever he touches in politics turns into gold for him and his party. A country, which is ravaged by the pandemic and its impending job losses, natural disasters, poverty, communal disharmony, etc, the mainstream mood is rallied behind the building of a temple. One has to give the credit where it’s due.

It’s almost like Mr Modi has a magic stick which he can wield to influence behaviour and mindset of millions of Indians

Mr Modi is the master of understanding and craft ing public sentiments. Our country, men and women have placed a huge level of trust in his leadership. He has a unique spot in history to create a narrative for the Indians, which takes the country on the road to progress.

Especially at a time when the country faces immense challenges on political, social, economic and diplomatic fronts. It’s almost like Mr Modi has a magic stick which he can wield to influence behaviour and mindset of millions of Indians. Whether he chose his power to drive conversations on the temple or the pertinent issues of education, employment, farm distress, etc, is entirely his prerogative.

History will definitely judge him for what he spoke about or rather what he chose not to speak about. In this double issue, we have taken up the issues, which, are most pertinent for our country in the current scheme of things. Veteran analyst Sankar Ray, with his sharp diplomatic and strategic insights, examines the psyche of Xi Jinping and his aspirations.

Alam Srinivas in his illuminating piece highlights how our country and policymakers have failed the marginalized sections of our society and trapped them into a never-ending cycle of poverty. He suggests some basic economic measures which are necessary for their uplift ment. Reeta Singh investigates the status of Atmanirbhar Bharat and its standing in the current realities of our country.

Bhavdeep Kang has a very interesting take on the collective, social psyche of our nation and our dependence on the providence for all mortal matt ers. Rashme Sehgal does a post-mortem analysis of the last 4 months and how the pandemic has made us rethink our priorities and challenges in such a short period. New Education Policy has been approved by the Cabinet.

It should have ignited a series of debates and discussions, as it is directly going to impact the developmental trajectory of India. Robin Keshaw takes a look at the crucial aspects of the policy and the major critical gaps where it fails to deliver.

A young dynamic writer, Barish Raman does a 360-degree analysis of Korea’s K-Pop industry and its socio-economic impact on the country. Prachi Raturi Misra digs deeper into the penetration of porn in our lives and our society’s hush-hush response to this pervasive phenomenon.