To the average Indian, Narendra Modi inspires tremendous curiosity. It is not every day that a chief minister is called a "mass murderer" or described as a "merchant of death" in stilted Hindi. Is Modi the monster he is made out to be? Or does he represent a new phenomenon?
When it comes to Modi, it is hazardous to swim against the tide of liberal consensus. Yet, there is a big divergence between how Modi is perceived in Gujarat and how he is painted by the intellectual and editorial classes. In Gujarat, Modi is not just a politician; he is a combination of folk hero and superstar. Many of his election rallies are akin to rock concerts, marked by spectacular exhibitions of mass frenzy. Modi is a formidable communicator and often has the crowds eating out of his hands. Few Indian politicians in living memory have been able to generate so much raw passion. His appeal is undeniably inspirational.
Modi differs markedly from mass leaders like Indira Gandhi and M G Ramachandran. These iconic leaders drew sustenance from the lowest rung of society. Their charisma was based on their patrician generosity - the ability to dole out sops to the needy and vulnerable. They were leaders of a socialist India where it was immoral to be rich and noble to be poor, and where entrepreneurship was vilified and state control celebrated.
Narendra Modi is the creation of an India that is fed up with sloth, inefficiency and the missed opportunities of the past 50 years. This is an India that found
