“There is no mantra... I am far from the mantra and tantra world.” These are Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s words at the India Today conclave last year. He may not himself think that his approach is formulaic, but, as we shall see, this is untrue. There is, of course, no question that he is a superb communicator. There are few politicians around the world, including US President Barack Obama, and there is none in India, as good as Modi when it comes to talking to the people. However, it is also true that Modi prefers reduction of issues, which are complex, into things expressed as a formula or as a slogan. He has a love for alliteration, acronym, rhyme, and on an industrial scale.
The website Scroll.in reported this fondness, saying that the “PM’s approach to rhetoric (is to) find a way to turn a simple concept or phrase into something pithy and appealing to his core constituency. Over the course of the election campaign and since his ascendance to the peak of Indian politics, NaMo has continued to add to our growing lexicon of acronyms and pithy phrases that define the Modi sarkar.”
Most recently, Modi referred to the “three Ds that only India had”. He said that “the world is looking at Asia. But they don’t know where to go. We have to give nations willing to invest an address. Demographic dividend, democracy, demand, all three exist in India and only India in Asia.”
Alliteration, meaning the use of consecutive words starting with the same letter, is one of Modi’s favourite devices. He has spoken of the “five Ts” to “build brand India”. The five being, according to him, talent, tradition, tourism, trade and technology. Describing his government’s budget, Modi said on July 10 that “development should have the three Ss — Samaveshak, Sarvadeshak, Sarvasparshi”. This means that it should be inclusive and touching everyone.
The prime minister’s mantra for his government is the “four Ps”. He says that “if we want to implement good governance, we must look to P4: People, private, public partnership. We need to move from PPP to PPPP.” I’m not sure what the difference between these two is, given that they refer to the same thing. My guess is that Modi wanted to own the phrase but thought it was overused and so changed it a little.
Another alliteration is the “three Ps”. Zee News reported on August 14 that “Modi suggested Prakash, Paryavaran and Paryatan (light, environment and tourism), the three-P formula for Leh-Ladakh and that “if these three are utilised properly, then the country will benefit”.
Then there are the “three Ss”. DNA reported on June 9 that “Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country needed skill, scale and speed to compete with China”. During the election campaign, Modi spokes of the “three AKs”. He said “three AKs are admired in Pakistan — AK-47, A K Antony, AK-49 who floated a new party”. A K Antony was India’s defence minister, who according to Modi, was soft on Pakistan. The last AK was a reference to Arvind Kejriwal. Yet another Modi formula is P2G2. “We need P2G2: pro-people good governance”, Modi said according to Economic Times on February 6.
Sometimes Modi strikes upon a very fine phrase — for instance, his promise to change the way India is seen as an investment destination: “From red tape to red carpet.”
However, at times it seems that Modi is forcing himself to come up with something clever where it isn’t required. For instance, his slogan “from Scam India to Skilled India”.
In anticipation of the visit of China’s leader to India, Modi coined the slogan “INCH, that is, ‘India-China’; towards MILES — ‘millennium of exceptional synergy’. “
Modi has the easy way of someone who doesn’t feel obliged to always speak formally. This is what makes him a great communicator. He says, “We need to put ‘life’ in a ‘file’. It isn’t enough to put up facilities, it is equally important to improve the people’s quality of life.”
On the subject of legislation, he said that “this nation does not need Acts, it needs Action”.
And fewer slogans too, one might add.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 5th, 2014.
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COMMENTS (23)
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@Gp65: Fareed Zakaria is NOT changing his opinion about Modi. Neither is he vacillating. F Zakaria formed his opinion over a long period. That includes the 'Butcher of Gujrat' and comparing Muslims to dead puppies. His opinion was not formed, frivolously, overnight, while he did his laundry. Therefore it will not change by lunch, the next next day. No, this is strictly your personal opinion.
@Hunza wala: cry me a river now.
Modi is full of rhetoric. You can fool some people all the time and all the people sometime, he appears to be trying to fool all the people all the time. He is very selective in his comments against misdeeds by his own pracharaks and brigade and generally silent, as if accepting their acts. Sadly a majority of the 31% who voted him were hypnotised by the dreams he sold. Even if 10% of what he sold comes out true, I would myself become his follower from being a total andi-modi. Aakar, I think you are the most neutral journalist and have clearly laid out facts. I am sure Modi will do a lot of window dressing and highlight the achievements, whilst ensure there is no coverage for a Jua Pura kind of places The concluding remarks sum it all up ... enough of rhetoric, can we see some action please?
Only hindu comments allowed. No Muslim or Pakistani comments allowed by wretches known as ET moderators of this hindu paper.
@James: It's not that he got 31%, the thing is that he is elected PM of the nation, which the whole world ack. Whatever he says/does to the world it is India says/does, but then you need to be mature enough to understand that.
FYI please add the votes received by the allies as well and you would get a sensible figure.
@C. Nandkishore: What you missed out is that he never said "I" and he explicitly says that collectively the whole nation has to do it.
@BlackJack: Thanks for the link. In Tamil it is called Adukku Mozhi. Mozhi means language and Adukku refers to building up one on top of other ...... building up words or sentences, one on top of other. You also brought a good point. Karunanidhi's contribution to tamil cinemas is immense.
@C. Nandkishore: Your note answering ""Why is Modi so popular?"... I haven't read any recent post describing the subtlety of the obvious so exceptionally well. Simple. Therefore,superb!
@avinash: "Mind it you are speaking against our PM i.e. against INDIA." No, Modi is not India, India is not Modi.
I do not like Modi because of his narrow-minded attitudes, but I think he has not done that badly since he took over the government. His trip to UN and subsequently USA was a success.I agree with him: This nation does not need acts, it needs action. Thos does not mean that congress was inactive, but lately because of no outright majority, had to slow down considerable. The electorate was disappointed. WE will see how India develops in next 5 years.
Modi is many things rolled into one. He is own media house and has made Indian media irrelevant. Highly unlikely, he will grant any interview to Indian media in foreseeable future.
@Raj - USA: Here is a link to one of those memorable ones by Karunanidhi.from the mid-60s. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdVzsXhsSjA (If the link doesn't go through you could also search for Kalaignar Marakka Mudiyuma on YouTube - basically Unforgettable Artist, for those who know no Tamil). As a talented script writer, speech writer and poet, he naturally had a way with words that few could seek to imitate (although his politics itself was quite retrograde). Further I think Tamil is particularly conducive to alliteration based on word structure and existing cadence that exists in its flow (speaking as a non-Tamilian with some exposure to the language and state). Modi, in comparison, excels in making conversation with his audience and by distilling the substance into simple yet pithy sentences. Even his alliteration is largely using English words that are rarely replaced even when we speak Hindi. A Karunanidhi or Annadurai speech would probably make excellent reading material, while a Modi speech not delivered by Modi may feel much less powerful or stirring.
No one is going to remember everything that Modi says. By using alliteration and a catchy turn of phrase at certain moments, he ensures that the message is immediately appreciated and more importantly, remembered. I don't see how this can be translated to mean over-simplification - he is clearly not using them as a magic spell but as a checklist or areas of focus. It also shows that while he speaks extempore, he probably puts thought into these ideas well-in-advance in order to find these alliterative groups.
There is substance to his communication. It is not empty talk. That is why even his staunch critics like Fareed Zakaria and M.J.Akbar have are changing their opinion.
Delicious essay! The sting is in the tail of course!( And fewer slogans too, one might add.). As a compendium of Modi's Musings this will be useful even to Modi since there are so many that the Man himself would have forgotten half of them. Platitudes & promises are meant to be forgotten anyway.India has had some of the most garrulous politicians since Indians are compulsive talkers, but Modi beats everybody. He is incurable Talkaholic who lapses in to silence only when on the defensive. Fascinating so far but he is likely to degenerate in to boring repetitiveness. Indians (not NRIs) are in trouble: Radio & TV weekly talks, Chai-per-Charcha, Sonia/Jaya/Mamta bashing, Haryana/Maharashta & elections elsewhere & then speeches in preparation for 2019 & so on. That's what he had promised Indians: if you work (aka talk) for 12 hours I shall do so for 13.
I enjoyed this piece. Yes, the alliterations and abbreviations are over the top, but we can excuse him these minor indulges if he delivers on his promises. In fact, his audience expects him to come up with these little jewels in his speeches. It has become his trademark. Now, if the author can change his MBA to a USA things will be better.
So? Even advertisement agency makes things simple, easy to understand and use catchy phrase to capture the minds of people and leave an lasting impression. A complex boring congress lawyer/liar language speech and theories goes above the head of average indian, forget the poor illiterate masses. Especially when they try to explain schemes or defend their logic of "zero loss" in 2g scam. Modi makes things simple understandable and connects with all sections and class of people. He's out of box thinker and creative. He is able to reach out to people and define his vision in just three words. That's talent. Which congress cudnt even do after reading ten pages of boring essay on stage and parliament. Modi's got perfect "good trait mix" of two - nationalism,patriotism,shrewdness,hardworking, against corrupt, no nonsense attitude from rss and inviting,strong business sense, friendliness,sweet charm talk and art of diplomacy from a Gujarati. Good combo. You may not like his slogans, but it's hit among the masses. Deal with it.
Yes. And the nearest competitor is Kapil Sharma.
Patel sir why you have so much problem with our PM. Mind it you are speaking against our PM i.e. against INDIA. If you cross certain limit you would certainly get necessary answer. Any way person himself remains responsible for what he acts.
Being a Modi supporter, I loved every word of this article. Modi tries to understand issues and understand its basics to find a solution. On alliteration, DMK leader Karunanidhi was far skillful in the 1970's. I have listened to some of his speeches (in Tamil) at that time. At times he can continue on his alliteration skills for five, ten or even fifteen minutes non-stop, all extempore and spontaneous without any notes or preparation. He is old now and lost many of his skills.
that Ak was nice one ;d