AS RIGHTLY said, “Sure I am this day we are masters of our fate, that the task which has been set before us is not above our strength; that its pangs and toils are not beyond our endurance. As long as we have faith in our own cause and an unconquerable will to win, victory will not be denied us.”

 

These words of Sir Winston Churchill reflect the personality of an impeccable soul in Indian politics who is none other than Narendra Bhai Modi. He walks his talk. He is all tough, hard-driving and is willing to work for the development of Gujarat, as he believes that working for Gujarat is his destiny. He is all determined to do things his own ways and he loves to put on a show. Talking about “Modism”, it’s all about development. In simple words we can call it a replica of development in all directions, whether development of people, industries, agriculture etc. as in it covers a wide range of social as well as economic development. Rise of Modism just started with the rise of a youth who was all filled with enthusiasm and charisma of Modi.

 

He completed his schooling in Vadnagar and did his masters degree in Political Science from Gujarat University. Even as a boy he was interested in social services. During the Indo-Pak war in early sixties, he went to help the soldiers in transit in railway stations. In 1967 he offered voluntary services to the people affected in Narmada Tapti floods. He continued serving the victims of major disasters in various parts of the country in his student and adult life.

 

Narendra Modi’s abilities and leadership qualities were seen in the early days of his student life when he became the student leader of Akhil Bhartiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (All India Students Council then). He played a prominent role in the anti-corruption movement in 1974 in Gujarat. He entered politics in 1987 by joining the Bharatiya Janata Party. Within a year, he was elevated to the level of general secretary of the Gujarat unit of the party. In 1995 he was made the national secretary of the party in-charge of five major states in India – a rare distinction. He traveled extensively through out the world, which helped him to develop a global perspective. He was sworn in as the chief minister for the second term on 22nd December 2002.

 

The biggest challenge which Narendra Modi had to face when he took over as the chief minister was the reconstruction of the earthquake affected areas. Bhuj was a city of rubble. People were living in temporary shelters without basic infrastructure. Earthquake recovery became his first priority. His dynamic vision and quick  decisions have put Gujarat Reconstruction Programme as one of the best reconstruction programmes on the global map and set a benchmark for reconstruction and disaster recovery, not only in India, but also in the entire Asia. Earthquake reconstruction and rehabilitation in Gujarat achieved global recognition. Narendra Modi as soon as he took over as the chief minister focused quickly on integrated overall development. Along with industrial growth and economic development, he also focused on rural development, improvement in education, education of girl child, development of the deprived, agricultural development, science and technology and disaster management.

 

Gujarat had always focused on industrial growth, but Narendra Modi made an attempt to correct the imbalance in development by focusing appropriately on social sectors, integrating social and economic growth. He put Gujarat on the road to integrated development with a special focus on five sectors namely – education, water, energy, human resources and safety and security.

 

Attention and priority given by Narendra Modi to education as compared to any other past chief minister of the state is also noteworthy. His realisation that no amount of economic, industrial or commercial resurgence can be sustained on a long-term basis without the foundation of proper academic and professional education has made him re-work the whole system of education in Gujarat state. The concern of Narendra Modi for education of the girl child is reflected in the fact that he has specially created a fund called “Kanya Kelavani Nidhi”. Now it is a well-known fact that all the gifts received by Narendra Modi are auctioned and the funds are credited to this account.

 

Narendra Modi has been constantly innovating for improving the efficiency and productivity in various sectors. One such innovative step is the decision to involve private sector for development of huge wastelands. Another innovative step is celebration of traditional festivals, and convert them into events of major tourist attraction. In a mobile world in order to make citizens really mobile, roaming ration cards and roaming school cards have been introduced. Provision of soil health cards to the farmers is another innovation to help farmers improve the land quality and ultimately agricultural productivity. “Sujalam Sufalam” scheme launched to create a grid of water resources in Gujarat is another innovative step towards water conservation and its appropriate utilisation.

 

Vibrant Gujarat Global Investor’s meet is an innovative bi-annual submit organised by Narendra Modi to attract investment from rest of the country and abroad. Narendra Modi in his five years of rule has ensured all round development of Gujarat in all areas including agriculture, rural development, education and industrial development. His vision is to make Gujarat emerge as the leader, not only in the Indian sub-continent, but also in the entire Asia to compete with Japan, Taiwan, and China. Narendra Modi looks beyond the immediate gratification for the purpose of getting votes.

 

The programmes such as Krushi Mahotsav, River Grid, Chiranjeevi & Matru Vandana schemes, schemes for reduction in infant mortality rate, Beti Bachavo campaign (save the girl child), Jyotigram, Karmayogi Abhiyan etc. aim at multi-dimensional development of Gujarat in the long-term. The vision, concept and implementation of such programmes

make Narendra Modi rise as a statesman, who thinks of the next generation in the backdrop of politicians who think about the next elections.