(This is the third in a three-part series of columns that assesses and analyses the changes that India has witnessed as a society, polity and economy since 26 May 2014, when Narendra Modi first took oath as the Prime Minister. The authors argue that “mindset” changes in India are more profound and will impact the future of India in a more powerful way than the persona and performance of Modi. Read the first and the second parts here.)
History is testimony to the fact that the subaltern always bide their time; and that time does invariably arrive. That time is sometimes marked as a relatively smooth transition, and often as a violent upheaval. For the most part, India since 1947 has seen more of the former than latter.
When Narendra Modi took oath as Prime Minister on 26 May 2014, the dominant narrative was about a “chai walah” from a humble background humiliating a crown prince in the electoral sweepstakes.
In the previous two columns, the authors have analysed three “mindset” changes during the Modi tenure that will irretrievably change the future of India:
Impatient aspirations
A blend of nationalism and Hindutva, and
A resurgence of identity assertion
In all this, if you take a historic look, it is hundreds of millions of Indians who escaped extreme poverty in the 21st century determined to transform their lives and livelihoods pitted against an old, established yet decaying elite that is keen to preserve status quo.