As India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares to visit Japan three months since taking office, how do we assess his tenure to date? He is proving to be practical, not ideological, pragmatic rather than dogmatic. So far he has neither delivered on the exaggerated expectations of enthusiasts nor vindicated the worst fears of detractors.
The clearest articulation of Modi's vision came in the traditional prime minister's Independence Day speech on Aug. 15. Typically prime ministers pronounce with pride on India's shining accomplishments while sounding warnings to mischief-minded foreign powers. Modi broke from tradition in the substance of his address and the barnstorming nature of his performance in an extemporaneous 70-minute address in Hindi.
Modi began by saying he spoke as India's first servant, not prime minister. Acknowledging the contributions of all predecessors, he insisted national upliftment was the duty not solely of government but the individual, family and collective responsibility of people. He attacked the mentality of mera kya (what's in it for me?) and if nothing, mujhe kya (what's it to me?). If every one of India's 1.25 billion people took one step forward, he noted, India would move forward 1.25 billion steps. References to skill development, digital India, e-governance, balance between imports and exports, manufacturing, and the abolition of the Planning Commission were along expected lines.