Modi at 75: The people's Prime Minister

Three years after independent India celebrated its 75th birthday, PM Narendra Modi follows suit on Wednesday. In the over 10 years since he became PM by becoming the first Indian leader to sweep to a single-party majority in three decades and the first to be re-elected with a bigger mandate in 2019, there have been many achievements. At a time when technology is increasingly at the forefront, even street vendors in India have embraced UPI and Digital Payments, making us the world's undisputed leader in real-time payments. The internet revolution, driven by the availability of cheap data, has meanwhile spread to all corners of the country, transforming lives and livelihoods. Prime examples of these have been the cashless transfers through Jan Dhan and the FASTag-powered journeys on highways. The mushrooming of Jan Aushadhi Kendras have also contributed towards improving the health of the nation. Changing everyday India There have also been the many ways daily lives have been touched in Modi's decade. Ten years ago, toilets were absent in most homes; the Swachh Bharat drive has since changed that reality. Gas cylinders, bank accounts, direct benefit transfers, Jan Dhan, UPIthese benefits now reach the poorest directly. A passport office in every district, as he likes to recall, turned a symbol of privilege into an accessible service. Connection and empathy Modi is also the only PM to have spoken directly to citizens more than 100 times through Mann Ki Baat, a radio tradition he has made his own. In fact, his real strength has been the connect he has been able to build with the masses. His politics has relied on Jan Sampark (connection) and Jan Samvedna (empathy). Whether washing the feet of sanitation workers at the Kumbh Mela or spending every Diwali with jawans, Modi has never forgotten the power of touch. In 2018, he broke protocol at Red Fort by stepping down from the dais to mingle with schoolchildrenlater gifting one of them his own handkerchief to wipe sweat. A year later, he surprised thousands at Jhabua by joining in the tribal adivasi dance. And when ISRO's Chandrayaan-2 mission stumbled in 2019, he was there to envelop a tearful K Sivan in an embrace that told a nation: science too needs solace. The power of wit Modi's humour has also left an imprint. Once, he told the Opposition in Parliament: If I start answering you point by point, I'll become like Google search, evoking laughter from all MPs. He famously joked about Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury's interruptions by observing that he was publicising the 'Fit India' campaign in Parliament by jumping up from his seat frequently. Then there have been the many moments outside parliament, like his quick repartee to a mother worried about her son's gaming addiction. Yeh PUBG wala hai kya? got all of India chuckling and more keenly aware of a problem that is still a challenge. The poet who looks inside Few remember that Modi is a published poet. At 75, he still reaches for verse to articulate what prose cannot. Abhi to suraj uga hai... he once wrote, insisting dawn is only beginning. Those who know the Prime Minister say that he continues to be driven by the same belief and purpose, believing that the sunshine days for India lie ahead. Legacy As the Prime Minister enters his 76th year, his place in India's history is already certain. But the enduring question is not what he has done, but how he has done itby making politics personal and accessible. He remains a Prime Minister who can embrace a scientist, tease a teenager, recite a couplet, or announce a policy- all the while engaging the nation.