From space to drones, PM Modi-era will be known for deep-tech forays

As India’s first techno-nationalist Prime Minister, the Narendra Modi-era will be known for India’s multiple deep-tech forays from space to drones, from AI to quantum computing and from semiconductors to biotech. However what is unique about PM Narendra Modi’s techno-nationalism is his leadership by example. Not only has PM Modi been a bold innovator in his personal use of technology, he has also demonstrated how the power of technology can be harnessed for the greater public good. His extraordinary communication skills have been amplified manifold with the innovative use of technology to break barriers and to motivate societal scale behavioural change.

 

 

PM Modi has been more than a policymaker or administrator, he has been a wordsmith, symbol-master, and a story-teller. His speeches, slogans, and gestures have not only been supplementary to policy, they have been at the core of transforming the ways Indians think of themselves and the world thinks of India. During the 2000s when he served as chief minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi’s innovative use of technology saw him disintermediate the gatekeepers of mainstream media and engage directly with the people through social media. He was one of the first use Twitter and Facebook to communicate with citizens while his speeches were live streamed on YouTube. His innovative use of 3D holography and satellite terminals set a new benchmark in political communication while his Mission272+ digital campaign during the 2014 elections paved the way for purposeful and positive citizen engagement through digital platforms.

 

PM Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio programme broadcast in more than a 40 languages and dialects reaches 99 per cent of Indians. At a time of saturation by social media, it sounds old- fashioned but millions listen in because the PM is intimate-sounding, conversational, and listening. As political pundits now note, it has now become a “direct channel of the Prime Minister to speak to the nation” and create intimacy otherwise absent in government. Mann ki Baat’s technology innovation stands out as India’s first visual radio program that broke language barriers harnessing the power of technology.

 

Especially significant has been the adoption of social media by PM Modi. With 100-plus-million followers on X (Twitter), he is the globe’s most-followed political figure. Tweeting about policy announcements, festival greetings, or even personal anecdotes, Modi has forged an aura of approachability. “Assertive social media outreach and branding,” as PR specialists term it, has allowed him to penetrate the young constituencies and overseas audiences on an unprecedented level while bypassing traditional press filters.

 

His mega-rallies are an indication of his crowd-reading acumen as well. He tunes words, phrases, and slogans into local contexts ranging from “Aa Gujarat ma banavyu chhe” in his home state to “Har Har Modi, Har Ghar Modi” in nationwide campaigns. The result: political communication simultaneously local and national in tone, intimate and massive. His creative use of AI since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to communicate directly in multiple Indian languages has taken the depth of intimacy in his speeches to a whole new level.

 

The confluence of technology, nationalism and communication skills of PM Modi can be appreciated from his interventions during emergencies. Be it the Covid-19 Pandemic or Operation Sindoor, he harnessed the power of technology to communicate with India’s frontline workers from health to national defence to keep motivations high, while rallying the citizenry with viral expressions of unity. Announcing a 21-day long lockdown, he quoted the Mahabharata: “That war lasted 18 days; our war on coronavirus will be 21 days long.” While in times of crisis these comparisons alleviated the anxiety of the citizens by telling them to hold on tight and that victory was within grasp. His statement “Jaan hai to jahaan hai” (if there is life, the world exists) encapsulated saving life in preference to modes of life. After the Pulwama attack of 2019, PM Modi vowed, “They have made a big mistake and will have to pay a very heavy price.” But he urged parties to speak “in one voice” in anger at terror. By combining steel with restraint, he reassured citizens while conveying a message of decisiveness to opponents. The technology powered communication on surgical attacks, Balakot airstrikes and after Operation Sindoor early this year reinforced his image as a techno-nationalist leader under whom India would not remain passive and India’s homegrown technology was second to none in defending the nation.

 

At the international level, Modi has been equally adept at turning gestures into international narratives. His 2014 UN resolution proposing an International Yoga Day passed on record support and has been a repeat event on the 21st of June to mark celebrations of India’s cultural diplomacy. PM Modi has personally held mass yoga sessions in New York and New Delhi and elsewhere to drive home India’s heritage as today’s global good. His diaspora outreach has been another innovation. From Madison Square Garden in New York to Wembley in London and Houston’s “Howdy, Modi!”, he turned routine trips into rock-concert-like affairs. “You are essential in forming a positive profile of India," he told beaming expats. These moves encapsulated soft power India and sent the signal to the external Indian diaspora that it is an important strategic asset. His diplomatic slogans- "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" (the world is one family), “One World, One Sun, One Grid” and civilisational gestures like giving foreign visiting leaders copies of sacred books redefined aggressive and  humble India. Where earlier it appeared hesitant, Modi’s rhetoric communicates an active, assertive world actor.

 

PM Modi’s symbolism and rhetoric have had their fair share of cynics as well, whose view is that it is too nicely branded at times. Nonetheless, even they recognize his unmatched success at framing the discourse by breaking barriers and setting new benchmarks in political communication: symbolic, inspirational, ubiquitous, and direct. Technology as a means to involving citizens as equal partners, by communicating strength in crisis by associating policies with movements, and by infusing diplomacy with culture and charisma, PM Modi has redefined how India addresses itself and the world. If techno-nationalism is the path to realise the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047 it is PM Modi’s technology led innovation in communication which is the rallying mantra to harness the collective strength of a billion aspirations in making Viksit Bharat a reality.

 

Shashi Shekhar Vempati is former CEO Prasar Bharati and Dr Manish Dabhade is Associate Professor of Diplomacy at SIS JNU.

  (Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the writer. They do not reflect the views of www.business-standard.com or the Business Standard newspaper)