A year has passed since Narendra Modi took on the oaths and office of prime minister of India. It's a good time to take stock of how Modi has changed India, and India its view of Modi.
Last year, many liberal voices in India were dismayed, even deranged, by the electorate's verdict. How could a man so clearly linked to religious prejudice, even outright bigotry, be entrusted with providing political stability and intellectual direction for one of the world's most youthful societies? But in time, even they have come around.
Purely in terms of political arithmetic, few Indian politicians have earned the post of prime minister as much as Modi. Despite its vast cadre, Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party needed his charisma and crossover appeal to even imagine winning a majority in such a diverse country. Even the tag line of the BJP's campaign emphasized the person, not the party: "Ab ki baar, Modi sarkaar" — this time around, a Modi government.