Thank you Gujarat

 "A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity." 

                                     ---- Nehru                         (A Tryst with destiny)

         And so it was... 

        The verdict in Gujarat 2007 changes everything. It shows that we, as a people, can discern the promises of the future from the trappings of the past. 

   Narendra Damodardas Modi, the man of the moment, has to face countless questions, both from India and the rest of the world. Let us keep the big questions apart from the small ones. In his hour of victory, the man who had dedicated himself to the development of Gujarat showed a humility and grace that earned him praise even from his enemies. Could this be the face of India's future? Can India become a superpower; a generous friend and a terrible foe? 

Modi has already answered the small questions: yes; our leaders have the constitutional machinery to make a difference to our people, yes; good governance does make good politics and yes; it is possible for us to sink our petty differences and vote for a larger cause. The Gujarat verdict told us all that.               

                     

     Gandhi gave the Indian freedom struggle its unique character which, ever since, became the model for political mobilization in the democratic world, from the Civil Rights Movement in the United States to the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. On the eve of our independence, Sardar Patel prevailed on 565 odd princely states to merge with the country, a diplomatic tour de force that has been referred to as the single biggest achievement of the Government of India. In the tumultuous years following independence, when the new nation sought to isolate itself economically from the world (using the so called "license, quota, permit Raj"), the Gujaratis, who fanned out all across the country and across the world, played a lead role in establishing indpendent Indian innovation and industry. When the gag was finally lifted in the 90's, India Inc. followed. In the post-9/11 world, Modi has shown that it is possible to create a terrorism free democratic state that is awash with prosperity. Those who cannot see beyond the gruesome events of 2002 should remember that Modi is only the third Indian in history, after Maharana Pratap and Shivaji, to prove that Islamic invasion can be held at bay. 

     That this verdict came from Gujarat must be destiny. It is a fitting crown to all that this golden state has given to this country.