There are books on Narendra Modi and there are more books on Narendra Modi. Modi @20: Dreams Meet Delivery’ stands out because this is a book with chapters written by stalwarts of different domains as Amit Shah, Ajit Doval, Amish Tripathi, PV Sindhu and Sudha Murthy, among others.
In 2001, Modi became the Chief Minister of Gujarat. He was undefeated in all subsequent elections and became the longest serving Chief Minister of the state. While Modi strode Gujarat like a colossus, propelling multi-dimensional progress, bigger responsibilities beckoned. His exemplary success in Gujarat, paved the way for him to be elected India’s Prime Minister in an overwhelming victory in 2014. He is a Prime Minister unlike anyone earlier in his mass appeal and body of work. As a result, in 2019, he was re-elected with an even bigger mandate.
Modi owes his charisma not only to his personal qualities but also to his work in many domains over a long social, political and administrative career covering grassroots-level transformation in Gujarat to the changing of the political fabric of India. Modi’s impact is not restricted to India alone. Numerous national and international polls regularly declare him as the most popular international leader of the present times.
In 2021, Modi completed twenty continuous years as the head of a government, be it at state or national level. This clearly indicates that he has been able to create a wave of mass approval which has helped him hold the fort of head of a government for so long, a rare feat for a political leader in any democracy of the world.
The book Modi @20 is a compilation of chapters authored by eminent intellectuals and domain experts that attempt a definitive and expansive exploration into the fundamental transformation of Gujarat and India over the last twenty years due to Modi’s unique model of governance. There is also a conscious effort to unravel the reason behind the rise of Modi from an extremely humble background to the ultimate seat of power in India.
Foreign minister S. Jaishankar writes, “PM is autodidactic by nature with a perpetual desire to comprehend the world better.” Former UIDAI chief, Nandan Nilekani chooses to write about the use of technology as an enabler of good governance besides sharing some unique personal anecdotes and insights. Economist and author, Prof. Shamika Ravi, talks about the micro revolutions that together make a macro impact in bettering the lives of millions of people. Dr. Surjit Bhalla, Executive Director of IMF, puts together data and deep dive analytics to show how PM Modi’s policies have had the most effect in reaching out to the poor.
A first generation successful entrepreneur, Uday Kotak, describes how Modi values private enterprise and the respect he carries for wealth creators.
Bestselling author Amish Tripathy refers to Modi as the ‘Bhagirath Prayasi’ in his chapter. Author and philanthropist, Sudha Murty, talks about ‘Winds of Change’ in her chapter in the book.
She mentions an interesting anecdote to narrate how the changes are taking place in India. PV Sindhu calls PM Modi an undisputed Youth Icon and makes a compelling argument about it. Former President of CII and Executive VP of the Apollo Group, Shobana Kamineni, delightfully pens that it is no longer a period of Women’s Development only but an era of ‘Women Led Development’.
Modi @20: Dreams Meeting Delivery’ will become ‘Gita’ for people in politics and public policy domains, says Amit Shah. “The authors have masterfully traced the contours of an iconic leader’s fascinating journey of 20 years,” Vice President Naidu said at the launch. It gives an “incisive analysis and cogent presentation”. For Naidu, PM Modi is actually “a phenomenon”.
The rise of Narendra Modi is a watershed moment in Indian politics. In fact, such is the magnitude of his influence on the country that India’s governance paradigm and political history can be easily divided into two distinct eras—pre-Modi and post-Modi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a leader who demonstrated to the world that dreams can indeed be realised.
