Incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi (Narendra Damodardas Modi) may be the most mysterious Prime Minister since India's independence. Before becoming the chief minister of Gujarat in 2001, not many people knew about this person even in India. During his tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat, he was committed to economic reform and growth, and liked to others to call him "Vikaas Purush", which Chinese media often called him "Deng Xiaoping of India." But in fact, the two people's early careers were very different. Deng Xiaoping was born in an ordinary Chinese village in the early 20th century, while Modi was born on September 17, 1950 in a small grocer family in Wadnagar town, Mahsana County, Gujarat. His family belongs to the Modh-Ghanchi-Teli caste, which is a traditional livelihood of operating oil extraction business. This caste is a Vaishya caste, which is included in the "other backward caste" by the Indian government. In this regard, Modi's background is not prominent. This may be an important reason why Modi's early experience is still unknown to date. In Indian society, which values bloodline and background, how can people pay attention to the life of a civilian child?
Indian Prime Minister Modi
Ordinary life of civilian children
However, the basic situation of Modi's family is still clear. His father was Damodhas Murchand (1915-1989), and his mother was Sheila Ben Modi (born in 1920 and is still alive). Modi's parents have given birth to six children in total, and he is the third child. His elder brother Som was born in 1944. After graduating from high school, he obtained a diploma issued by the health inspection department and then served as a health inspector at a local public health station. His second brother Amrit was born in 1946. After graduation, he studied short courses in an industrial training institution, and then worked as a turner in a private enterprise in Ahmedabad. After Modi, his parents also gave birth to a sister and two younger brothers for him. The younger sister is Vasanti, and her younger brothers are Prahlad and Pankaj. Both of them have failed to continue their studies in their studies. After graduating from school, Pankaki took a self-study of journalism and later joined the Gujarat government information department. If it weren't for the birth of Narendra Modi, this ordinary Indian family might never have attracted people's attention.
Modi is not a saint. His childhood was neither the miracle of the Saints nor the special legend that curious readers would like to see. In fact, Modi was just a child from a civilian home, and his childhood life was the ordinary life of ordinary children from his social class. He helped his father sell tea at Wadnagar Railway Station and later ran a tea stall business with his brother near a bus stop. However, what is somewhat ridiculous is that Modi's unenviable life experience when he was a child brought him a dazzling halo after he became the Prime Minister of India. The "Grassroot Prime Minister" became his iconic badge. It is said that in the Indian countryside, many pregnant women hope to bend over and touch Modi's feet. They hope that their children can also achieve a gorgeous turn from "diaosi" to "tall, rich and handsome" like Modi did in the future.
In fact, Modi not only came from a humble background, he did not show any talent that was different from ordinary people when he was a child, nor did he even leave a particularly deep impression on the people around him. He completed his higher secondary education at the age of 17. One of his middle school teachers said he was just an average student but was keen on debate and performance. His eloquence left a good impression on the teachers and classmates at that time. On the stage, Modi likes to play heroic roles. It is said that he also performed a single-player drama called "PilooPhool", and he took on all the work of screenwriter, director and actor alone. In the play, the only child of a untouchable woman is sick and she seeks help from villagers, doctors, monks and witches. Someone suggested that she go to the village temple to pick a small yellow flower, but due to her background, she could not enter the temple. She begged hard, but she was in return for all kinds of humiliation. When she returned empty-handed, the poor mother found that the child had passed away tragically.Taren Vijay, the author of Modi's official biography, commented on the short story he recorded: "Through this single-player drama, Narendra only wants to explain a simple truth - the sage of the gods is like a little yellow flower, and everyone has the right to have it." Vijay also recorded several other "little things" that happened in the school when Modi was a student, which was enough to reflect Modi's personality. It is said that once, the Sanskrit teacher of the school asked the whole class to write the word "river" in the grammatical order and hand it over to the class monitor for correction. Narendra refused to do so, insisting that only the teacher himself could correct students' homework. Finally, he was not satisfied until the teacher personally corrected his homework. Another time, the school offered a special tutoring class for students with poor Sanskrit scores, but Modi refused to attend. He said: "Even Brahma cannot educate a boy who is unwilling to learn well!" Because Narendra at that time preferred the free learning method of widespread reading. Vijay believes that this reflects that the young man Modi "has a clear concept of right and wrong." Finally, there is another "interesting thing". Once, Modi saw four older children in the school beat up an isolated and helpless little boy. Modi knew that he could not fight the four strong big boys, but he did not retreat. He ran towards them, spraying the ink of the pen in his hand towards them, and the four boys turned and ran away in vain. After learning about this, the principal came to the classroom to let the four boys who were beating him stand up, but no one admitted it. At this time, Narendra said to the principal: "Sir, the boys who fight have stains of ink on their shirts." In this way, the bad boys were punished as they deserved. In Vijay's opinion, this little thing shows that "Narendra is a smart and resourceful guy".
Young Modi
Refusal to marry and run away to usher in a turning point in life
However, Vijay's saint-like account is not very helpful for us to truly understand Modi. This kind of thing is probably something that many ordinary people have experienced in their childhood. In fact, people can doubt how much impact the secular school life has had on Modi's growth, and it is even unquestionable whether the young man Modi has a strong interest in the entire school life. One fact we know is that after completing high school at the age of 17, Modi did not choose to go to college to continue his studies, but rather chose to run away from home unusually.
Another biography of Modi, which is different from the previous official biography of the saint, is about the political biography of the Indian Prime Minister, Kim Shuk Nag, the author of the young man Modi's choice to his dislike and opposition to his parents' arranged marriage. He said: "The general view of this is that his parents arranged his marriage for the successful family many years ago. A long time ago, Modi decided to do something to do, rather than be confined to the trivial family life. Modi, who is growing up, naturally does not want to accept 'child marriage'. In order to escape the pressure of the family, he had to choose to leave." (Kinshuk Nag, "The Legend of Modi: The Road from Street vendors to Prime Ministers of a Great Power") According to the Indian tradition of child marriage, when Narendra was 3 years old, his parents engaged him to a girl named Jashodaben in the neighboring village. Jasuda Ben is 2 years younger than Modi. When Modi was 17 years old, when he learned that his parents would hold a formal engagement ceremony for him and he had to marry Jasudaben three years later, Modi fell into a quarrel with his parents, and then resolutely chose to run away from home despite his parents' firm opposition.
's opposition to this arranged marriage may explain to a certain extent the young man Modi's dropout and runaway. India is not China, and there is no tradition of taking imperial examinations. Therefore, in the Indian consciousness, the concept of "there is a golden house in the book, and the beauty of the book is a jade". The idea of gaining fame through hard work to read and change economic and social status is far less popular and far-reaching in India than in China. This difference in social traditions and culture between China and India may better illustrate why Indian youth, who are as "motivated" as Modi in middle school, did not choose to squeeze into the university hall.Admittedly, in 1978, Modi obtained a bachelor's degree in political science from Delhi University through distance education, and five years later, he obtained a master's degree in political science from the University of Gujarat. However, at this time, Modi had already embarked on a "official journey" that was completely different from traditional Chinese literati.
"The Legend of Modi: The Road from Street vendors to Prime Ministers of a Great Power"
In fact, the biggest impact on the teenager Modi's life trajectory is the Hindu tradition in India. The sacred Hindu tradition had an impact on teenage Modi probably far outweighed the influence of secular schooling on him. As early as the age of eight, Modi began to contact India's largest Hindu organization, the National Volunteer Service Group (RSS), to participate in its local training classes. There he met Lakshmanrao Inamdar, who is commonly known as Vakil Saheb. Inspired by Wakila Sahib, Modi became a small officer in the National Volunteer Service Group, and Sahib also became the teenager's initial political mentor. In the National Volunteer Service Group, Modi also met Vasant Gajendragadkar and Nathalal Jaghda, the leader of the then People's League of India (the earliest political party organization of the RSS after India's independence), who established the Gujarat branch of the BJP in 1980. Needless to say, these people instilled the values and traditions of modern Hinduism in the young Narendra Modi.
The modern Hindu tradition
is different from what many of us imagine. The so-called "Hinduism" (Hinduism) was originally just a general term for the various folk beliefs, worship and customs they discovered in India by British colonialists in modern times. British colonialists invented the term to create an Orientalist Other in order to provide ideological legitimacy for their colonial rule in India. In the eyes of British colonialists, the "Hinduism" they see is not a true religion at all, but can only be said to be a collection of superstitions, so "Hinduism" becomes the label of ignorance, barbarity and backwardness of most Indian subjects other than the Muslims they ruled. Indians are equated with Hindus, and the entire Hindus is also regarded as an ancient nation that has existed in India since ancient times.
Hilariously, this political myth, originally invented by British colonists, not only was it an unquestionable fact for British colonial rulers, but also became an unshakable creed among the Indian nationalists who later overthrew British colonial rule. "Hinduism" has become the cultural cornerstone for modern Indian nationalists to build national identity. However, many contemporary historians who study India prefer to believe that India in history is not a single civilization, but a multi-civilized region. Naturally, under this situation, it is impossible to exist the Hindu tradition as a great tradition of Indian historical civilization.
Hindu tradition was actually the creation of Indian nationalists since the late 19th century, and the "National Volunteer Service Group" founded by Kashav Baliram Hedgewar in what is now Nagpur City, Maharashtra in 1925 can be said to constitute the culmination of this process. Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar, the second-generation leader of this semi-militarized Hindu nationalist voluntary organization, set the mission of the National Volunteer Service to revive Hindu values on the basis of universalism and the sharing of peace and prosperity for all mankind. "VasudhaivaKutumbakam" (i.e., the concept of "the world is one") is regarded as the ultimate goal of the organization. However, the leaders of the organization believe that their near-term goal is to revive Hinduism, unite all Hindus, build an equal society and a strong India, in preparation for the ultimate goal of achieving the world's harmony. In Gorvarka himself, it is: “In order to contribute our unique knowledge to all mankind, to be able to live and fight for the unity and welfare of the world, we must stand before the world as a confident, revived and powerful nation."
To achieve this goal, the National Volunteer Service Group requires its senior members to "serve the motherland selflessly" and adhere to celibacy, thus making this non-governmental volunteer organization known as the largest non-governmental volunteer organization in the world today (with five or six million members) look like an extremely large modern monk organization. However, unlike the traditional Hindu monks or saints who advocate mysterious thinking and negative birth attitudes, the modern Hindu "monks" or saints of these National Volunteer Service Groups adhere to the so-called "new Hindu" attitude and value orientation of life. Since the 19th century, Erammohan Roy, The native Indian intellectual elites represented by Wami Vivikananda, Savapali Radakrishnan and Mahatma Gandhi reformed their "traditional" religion under the influence of Western religions and cultures, eliminated the esoteric elements, emphasized its Vedic elements, and formed the so-called modern Hinduism or "new Hinduism". Based on the philosophy of Vedanta, New Hinduism advocated "Karmayoga", believing that Hindus can achieve the final liberation like the Hindu ascetic monks who abandoned the world by actively entering the world (i.e., pursuing justice in their current life without fear of sacrifice) can also achieve the final liberation (moksha) like the Hindu ascetic monks who abandoned the world. , the premise is that no return or benefit is expected from such social actions, and maintain a completely detached mind. Swami Vivikananda and Mahatma Gandhi can be seen as the two most prominent examples of practicing this new Hinduism in modern Indian history. The former founded the Ramakrishna sermon in May 1897 and actively engaged in various social services, while the latter gave up the well-paid lawyer work and devoted himself to the "Movement of Adhere to Truth", leading India to get rid of colonial rule and towards independence. Their common point is that they gave up private family life and secular pleasures, and achieved spiritual circles by committing to public social undertakings. Full. Their life may be described as the secular life of monks. In our opinion, this lifestyle may seem a bit weird and incredible. However, this lifestyle and attitude are very consistent with the "doctrines" of modern Hinduism.
Modi attended a National Volunteer Group meeting in 2009
In the eyes of modern Hindu practitioners, Hinduism is actually a "traditional lifestyle". It sets four legitimate "Purusarthas" for Hindus: Dharma, It means "ethics" and "obligation"), Artha (Artha, means "enrichment" and "work"), Kama (kama, means "emotion" and "lust") and moksha (moksha, means "liberation" and "free from reincarnation". These four life goals are considered important, but the importance of Bodhidharma is considered higher than that of Artha and Kama, and Moksha is considered the ultimate ideal of life. In connection with this theory of life goal, modern Hinduism also proposes the "Ashrama" theory of life, which divides life into four consecutive stages: Brahmacharya (student period), family life (Grihastha (family life stage after adulthood), Vanaprastha (retirement period) and Sannyasa (study period) to seek liberation). Each stage of life has corresponding ethics, responsibilities and obligations, and the focus on the four life goals is also different, and each stage of life is regarded as a different step to ultimate liberation. A striking feature of this life schema is that it is not family-oriented. It does not put family life and related secular interests at the center, although in this life schema, both Alta and Kama are “right” life goals, and the family-keeping period also occupies a particularly important position in the four stages of life. But for Moksha, the highest life ideal advocated by Hinduism, the ascetic life during the escapist period is considered to have more direct and more important significance. Therefore, those Hindus who have become monks and practiced directly during the Brahmacharya period and lived a monk-like life are particularly respected and respected in India.
Modi's growth
In this way, the teenager Modi's dropout, refusal to get married and leave home does not mean resistance to "feudal" families and "feudal" marriages, but rather means the practice of the Hindu traditions formed in modern times. Early contact with the National Volunteer Service Group, the largest Hindu organization, turned the young Modi into the son of Hinduism. Modi's actions after leaving home seem to confirm this. Over the next two years, he traveled to northern and northeastern India like a true Hindu dervish. However, people are not very clear about where he has been. In the interview, Modi said that he had visited several Hindu monasteries founded by Swami Vivikananda: first the Belur Math near Kolkata , then the Advaita Ashrama in Almora, Uttar Pradesh and the Ramkrishna Mission in Rajkod. In every monastery, he stayed for a moment without being accepted as a formal monastic member because he did not have the necessary qualifications for university education. After reaching Bailuer Temple in early summer 1968 and not being accepted, Modi traveled to Kolkata, West Bengal and Assam , during which he visited Siliguri and Guwahati. Afterwards, he visited Ramakrishna monastery in Almora again before returning to Gujarat through Delhi and Rajasthan , but he was still not accepted. Sometime in late 1969 or early 1970, Modi returned to his hometown of Wadnagar and met his long-lost family. However, beyond the usual expectations of us Chinese, his return home this time was not a "prodigal son's return". He only stayed at home for one night and set off again the next morning. He traveled to Ahmedabad to continue his journey to Hindus.
After coming to Ahmedabad, Modi quickly contacted his former mentor Inamdal, who lived in the headquarters of the National Volunteer Services Group, the city's headquarters, Herzwar Building. Inamdal actually acted as Modi's political mentor in the National Volunteer Service Group, and many people regard Modi as Inamdal's "heart-born son". After the India-Pakistan War in 1971, Modi quit his former job in his uncle's restaurant, became a formal "cadre" (pracharak) of the National Volunteer Service Group, and moved out of his uncle's house. An activist who worked for the National Volunteer Service Group at the same time as Modi commented: "This is a historic transformation, which gave Modi a sense of belonging and a goal of life. For the first time in his life, his life has been no longer a person and has become a member of the 'big family'. I think this matter is profound in his personality shaping process, and Modi's originally arduous life has become easier."
Modi was originally from a lower caste, and the National Volunteer Service Group was traditionally an organization led by the Brahmin high caste. Regardless of whether he wants to or not, once he joins the National Volunteer Service Group, Modi must give up his original caste identity and caste consciousness. He had no choice but to accept the Hindu ideology formed historically by the organization and to engage in his various political activities on the basis of this ideology. No matter what qualities and magic a person of history has, he cannot escape the traditions imposed on him by history. Only by understanding the historical traditions of modern India can we understand political figures like Modi. Unlike Deng Xiaoping (Deng Xiaoping, like many of his contemporary Chinese new intellectuals, was the product of the secular New Culture Movement and the May Fourth Movement), Modi was essentially a product of the Hindu tradition formed in modern Indian history.
Citations:
Jinshuk Nag: "The Biography of Modi: The Road from Street vendors to Prime Ministers of a Great Power", Guangdong Huacheng Publishing House Co., Ltd.
Taren Vijay "Grassroot Prime Minister-Modi", Sichuan Fine Arts Publishing House
Golwalkar, M. S.: Bunch of Thoughts. Bangalore: Sahitya Sindhu Prakashana, 1966. Quote from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashtriya_Swayamsevak_Sangh#cite_note-bunch-81
