{"id":244109,"date":"2015-06-20T19:03:02","date_gmt":"2015-06-20T13:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tehelka.com\/?p=244109"},"modified":"2015-06-20T19:03:02","modified_gmt":"2015-06-20T13:33:02","slug":"emergency-school-of-drama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/emergency-school-of-drama\/","title":{"rendered":"Emergency School of Drama"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Photo:
Photo: Tehelka Archives<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nHe is a master of makeovers. He knows how to look and wear the \u2018right\u2019 attire, and how to nurture, and even change, his political and social image. He knows what to say, when and where, and how to use words and slogans to maximise impact. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has displayed all these qualities, and more, during his 12-year-plus stint as Gujarat\u2019s chief minister, and over 12 months as the country\u2019s head.
\nDuring his election campaign, he cultivated the image of an efficient and incorruptible administrator. He sold the Gujarat Model of Development as the almost- perfect one that the nation could replicate. After he became the prime minister, he displayed the power of his personality when he addressed America\u2019s president as \u2018Barack\u2019 and not Mr Obama. He wowed the crowds in the US as well as Australia.
\nHowever, few know that Modi learnt the art of managing the masses and mass media, and creating a positive and aggressive hysteria amongst them during the controversial Emergency years (1975- 77). It was during this period, when the writ of Indira Gandhi, and her younger son, Sanjay Gandhi, ran supreme that the country\u2019s current prime minister studied, honed and finessed his theatrical skills.
\nEmergency drama<\/strong>
\nIn 1967, when Modi was 17 years old, he ran away from home to seek solace. He sought inner knowledge. He went through a contradiction of physically-excruciating journeys to the Himalayas and other places to seek inner peace and calm. It was a travel that evoked different sentiments \u2013 feelings of patriotism, given the fact that he attended the RSS \u2019 bal shakha in his village, ideologies and spiritualism.
\nIn one of his rare interviews to author Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, he revealed, \u201c(I would) go to Rama Krishna Mission and at times I went to Vivekananda Ashram in Almora (Uttarakhand). I loitered a lot in the Himalayas. I had some influences of spiritualism at that time along with the sentiment of patriotism \u2013 it was all mixed\u2026. I however knew that I had to do something different\u2026. You may call it a search \u2013 a search for something in a very determined manner.\u201d
\nWhen Modi came back in 1971, he met Laxmanrao Inamdar (fondly called Vakil Sahib). They had first met years ago, when Inamdar visited Modi\u2019s bal shakha. While the future prime minister urged and cajoled Vakil Sahib to become his ideological and spiritual mentor, the latter asked him to join the RSS . Modi did, and it marked the beginning of the end of his ideological baptism, and the start of a political one.
\nBefore Indira Gandhi imposed the Emergency on 26 June 1975, regional agitations had gathered storm in several states like Bihar (JP Movement) and Gujarat (Navnirman Movement). It was in Gujarat that the first anti-Indira fire was ignited. As the state suffered from high inflation and food shortages, students of two engineering colleges went on a rampage and destroyed public property in early 1974.
\nWhile the students got together under the Navnirman Yuvak Samiti, most protests in Gujarat were spontaneous and not coordinated by this group. In prominent cities and small towns, the agitations were led by sporadic middle-class individuals \u2013 university teachers, journalists, lawyers, doctors and, of course, students. Both Indira and the then Gujarat chief minister, Chimanbhai Patel, were reviled by the protesters. The agitations against Indira spread to several states, notably Bihar, in north India.
\nStung by the developments in Gujarat, Indira dissolved the Assembly, and imposed President\u2019s rule in the state in March 1974. When fresh elections were held over a year later, in May-June 1975, the Congress witnessed an electoral reverse. The party\u2019s tally of seats came down from 140 to 75, while the Congress(O), which splintered from the main Congress in 1969, won 56. Chimanbhai, who had started a new party, got 12 seats. A non-Congress coalition, Janata Morcha, formed the new government.
\nDays later, Indira imposed the Emergency. It was possibly the darkest hour in India\u2019s democratic post-Independent history. Individual freedom was curbed, media censored, political opponents arrested and the country was managed in a semi dictatorial manner. Politically, the Jan Sangh, predecessor of the BJP, and ideologically, the RSS openly attacked the imposition of the Emergency.
\n
\n
\"Flawed
Flawed policy<\/strong> Swachh Bharat campaign is as arbitrary as the nasbandi scheme of the Emergency era<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nMaster of makeovers<\/strong>
\nAs most of the known leaders of the opposition parties, including Jan Sangh, were arrested, the RSS and its regional shakhas took on the mantle to oppose Indira. In Gujarat, the Sangh formed a new organisation, Gujarat Lok Sangharsh Samiti (GLSS), which held a secret meeting under a regional rss Pracharak, Inamdar (who had ordered Modi to join the RSS), and took the decision to carry on with subversive activities.
\nThe first priority to achieve this objective was to ensure that the leaders, who were still in the open, were not arrested by the government. Thus, safe houses had to be found and money had to be arranged for their stay and travel. Many of these leaders shifted their safe houses several times, and lived in several states. The Gujarat RSS was among the prominent section to do this work.
\nModi became an important cog in this secret wheel of providing safety and security to important individuals. He realised this when he was asked to meet Prabhudas Patwari, a known lawyer and rss activist, at night in July 1975. Patwari informed him that George Fernandes, a well-known socialist, was in town, and Modi had to take care of him. Modi, who knew Fernandes, met him fondly.
\nIn their book on Modi, MV Kamath and Kalindi Randeri quoted Modi as saying, \u201cFernandes was unrecognisable. He was wearing an unironed Lucknavi kurta, a checkered lungi and a green cloth tied on his head. Besides, he had grown a long beard (in a bid to escape arrest) and looked like a Muslim fakir.\u201d Modi did his job impeccably; Fernandes and rss leaders were impressed.
\nFrom then on, Modi took care of several individuals, which included rss Swayamsevaks, and ensured that they stayed out of trouble. He also arranged their travels in case they had to change safe houses or move to another state. Thus, the future prime minister became a master in organising illegal stays, hoodwinking police and other authorities, and establishing a loyal and trustworthy network.
\nMore importantly, Modi became a master of disguises, as he tried to remain free, and was given more pressing responsibility to pass on crucial information to other leaders. Once he donned the garb of a Sanyasi, along with the saffron clothes. On another occasion, he grew a beard, and dressed up like a Sikh. In a few months, he became confident and took on challenging jobs that others refused.
\nIn his book on Modi, author Andy Marino cites several \u2018apocryphal\u2019 stories \u201cof current pm\u2019s actions designed to show his character in a flattering light\u201d during the Emergency years. Modi apparently broke into Bhavnagar jail to meet journalist Vishnu Pandya, and politician Shankarsinh Vaghela (now his sworn enemy in Gujarat), and pass on some information to them. To escape the police authorities, he went with a lady escort, who was a regular visitor to the prison.
\nMarino adds that \u201cafter (Nanaji) Deshmukh\u2019s arrest, it was discovered that the papers he was carrying were still with him. These contained plans for the future actions of the glss, and it was essential somehow to retrieve them. To this end, Modi planned a distraction with the help of a female Swayamsevak\u2026. They went to the police station where Deshmukh was being held. While she posed as a relative\u2026, Modi somehow took the documents from under the noses of the police.\u201d
\nMaster of communications<\/strong>
\nAnother important job that Modi was entrusted with was to disseminate information about the excesses of the Emergency to the masses, including the underground workers of the rss and glss, as well as leaders who were in hiding. He was asked to organise the printing and distribution of various pamphlets and booklets on relevant issues that could encourage the people to revolt.
\nSometime in 1975, Indira organised an international conference, where she invited Parliamentarians from the Commonwealth nations. The RSS\u00a0 felt that this could be a great opportunity to spread anti-Emergency and anti-Indira views to a global audience. Modi was entrusted with the task of printing five booklets for the event. These were: Indian Press Gagged, Fact vs Indira\u2019s Lies, 20 Lies of Indira Gandhi, When Disobedience to Law is a Duty, and A Decade of Economic Chaos<\/em>.
\nModi went scurrying to look for printers, who would have the courage to print the booklets, and in utmost secrecy. But then he was given a difficult job \u2013 to transport the hundreds of booklets to New Delhi so as to distribute them among the Commonwealth Parliamentarians. Finally, the delegates at the global conference did get the booklets, and Emergency became an international debate.
\nIn October 1975, Indira\u2019s critics, including the rss, decided on a nationwide Satyagraha on 14 November. The date was significant, the birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira\u2019s father. It was a masterstroke \u2013 to hold a non-violent protest against Indira on her father\u2019s birthday. The event was kept secret; according to Kamath and Randeri, the code word for the Satyagraha was \u2018Marriage Date Fixed\u2019.
\n
\n
\"modi-in-rss-dress\"
Master of disguise<\/strong> Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a Sikh<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n 
\nYet again, Modi\u2019s job was to print pamphlets to be distributed at the event, and also to the masses across India. The problem arose when members in Rajasthan demanded 2,00,000 pamphlets in Hindi. Modi had to run around in Gujarat to find printers, who could publish in the language. But he refused to arrange for the transportation to Rajasthan; the members were asked to come and collect the pamphlets. A few reports indicate that the RSS and the GLSS used female couriers for the purpose.
\nHis mass communication skills improved further when Modi became the publisher of a small underground newspaper Muktwani. He was also asked to bring out long commentaries against the Emergency, and how it violated the letter, spirit and principles of a democracy. Published in both English and Gujarati, these included, Story of Two Emergencies, Twenty-two Point Deception, Emergency X-rayed, Proposed Constitutional Reforms and Review of a Decade.
\nMaster of political successes<\/strong>
\nIntellectually, these responsibilities grounded Modi in the country\u2019s political, economic and social history. He understood the intricacies and nuances of democratic principles and philosophy. More importantly, he understood how to communicate with the masses in a manner to make an emotional and intelligent impact. He used these skills quite effectively during his subsequent political campaigns.
\nHowever, it is ironical that the man who agitated against Indira\u2019s semi-dictatorial regime during the Emergency years, and who ranted against the interference of an extra-constitutional personality, Sanjay Gandhi, in governance, has adopted similar means during his initial reign as the prime minister. Most critics, including those within the Sangh Parivar, maintain that this government is run by a single individual.
\nAs was the case with nasbandi (male sterilisation) scheme during the Emergency that was forced down people\u2019s throats, Modi\u2019s Swachh Bharat<\/em> campaign comes with threats of punishment. In 1975, Sanjay Gandhi proposed policies without being in power. Today, the Prime Minister\u2019s Office (PMO) has appropriated the powers of Cabinet ministers and senior bureaucrats. Even the states are asked to report to the PMO.
\nAs a seasoned observer avers, \u201cMaybe it is time for Modi to re-read the booklets and pamphlets he wrote during the Emergency. Maybe his friends should read them out to him. As a prime minister, if he imbibes some of the issues that he talked about in those days, this government will provide better governance. Or else, we may enter a new era of Emergency, where one person\u2019s diktat would determine the fate of 125 billion people.\u201d
\neditor@tehelka.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During 1975-77, when the country was under an authoritarian spell, a young man, Narendra Modi, acquired a repertory of theatrics and image makeovers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":244110,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[56],"tags":[2343,9348,9349,9350,9351,9352,9353,1277,1681,9354,9355],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244109"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/78"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244109"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244109\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}