By Priyanka Tripathi

India’s post-colonial journey has been deeply influenced by Western ideological frameworks, particularly those of the colonial and capitalist West. From science, medicine, and technology to governance and education, these Western-centric paradigms have often been employed as the yardsticks by which the nation measures its progress. Even the Indian Constitution, a document hailed for its inclusivity and foresight, reflects the intellectual currents of Western political thought.

In effect, though having fought hard for her independence, India has, at least in various aspects, been tethered to the principles of its former colonial masters. This reflects a broader pattern across the Global South, where the political and economic forces of the Global North have greatly influenced nations like India. This emulation of Western models has long been a subject of contention.

Perhaps there is an innate tendency for an emerging nation to borrow from the tested and proven strategies of established powers; but despite being a controversial nomenclature, the categorization of “developing country” has survived. However, the basic development and independence of a nation can be achieved only when it transcends the resources and philosophies borrowed from others to eventually develop a unique historical, philosophical, and cultural identity.

In fact, amid these convulsions of ideological introspection, Mann Ki Baat — a radio show that broadcasts into hundreds of millions of homes across India monthly and is hosted by the Prime Minister himself, Narendra Modi — has become one of the most important engines for such self-reflection. In so doing, PM Modi has used this platform to address an India which does not have to replicate models brought from abroad and instead revel in its own unique past and inherent potential. His speeches are laced with quotes from Indian philosophy, history and culture calling the nation to celebrate the past, respect it for its vast body of knowledge as India charts its future course.

A particularly emblematic episode of Mann Ki Baat aired on 3rd October 2014, during the occasion of Vijaya Dashami. PM Modi recounted a powerful story from the Upanishads – that of a lion cub raised by a flock of sheep, who grew up believing himself to be one. When the cub encounters a full-grown lion, he insists that he, too, is a sheep. The lion, puzzled, leads him to a waterhole and urges him to “know thyself.”

PM Modi used this ancient parable to urge India to recognise its inherent potential, rather than continue to define itself by Western metrics of success. The story served as a poignant metaphor for India’s own journey of self-realisation – a call to the nation to rediscover its identity, strengths, and purpose. Like the lion cub in the fable, India, he argued, must reclaim its true nature and forge a path forward that is grounded in its own philosophical and cultural heritage.

This theme of self-discovery and self-reliance has been a recurrent theme in Mann Ki Baat. In the year 2015, the PM Modi launched the “Make in India” program aimed at enhancing domestic production and innovation along with restricting imports. This was not just an economic initiative; it was inititated as a part of the broader ideological agenda of Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) in which growth of the nation was to be fostered through the country’s own industries, technology, and skills. This vision of self-reliance was presented as a natural continuation of India’s ancient traditions of craftsmanship and ingenuity, asserting that the nation has always possessed the capability to create and innovate from within.

In another notable episode in 2016, he highlighted the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission). Although one may relate cleanliness and sanitation to modern sanitary measures which are largely associated with Western advancements, PM Modi adopted a distinctly Indian perspective. He reminded the audience that cleanliness is embedded in Indian traditions, citing its spiritual and societal significance in ancient texts.

Swachh Bharat, therefore, was not merely a scheme of the government but a revival of the languished but core Indian traditions and values. PM Modi sought to describe that the objective of the mission is to restore ‘cleanliness’ and ‘purity’ which has been a part and parcel of the Indian way of life for ages. Thus, he explained, there is no conflict between modernity and tradition: they do not exclude but complement and support each other.

The global development alongside the preservation of the culture was further developed in Mann Ki Baat while handpicking the issue of promoting local and indigenous crafts. He has drawn attention on the lives of artisans, weavers, and craftsmen whose generations have been practicing the art for several episodes.

PM Modi did not advocate for the local crafts to just support/encourage the small market activities, but the entire wisdom which placed importance on sustainable and traditional over western industrialization. His idea of discouraging the practice of outsourcing and promoting indigenous people’s activities and industries was a way of promoting development that was not only eco-friendly but consistent with the Indian reverence for the environment and conservation of resources.

Another dimension to this rediscovery that is quite significant has been PM Modi’s revival of the ancient Indian modalities of wellness which include yoga and ayurveda. Over the past few decades, practices rooted in Indian philosophy have particularly yoga attracted considerable attention around the world. His call for the observance of International Yoga Day every year starting from the year 2015 was more of a deliberate attempt to brand Yoga most appropriately as a petitioner of the intellectual power of India as much as it is a healing activity.

While bringing back yoga, and yoga therapy, PM Modi has underlined the necessity for India to take the position of a country that is not only economically or technologically advanced but one that is at the forefront of spirituality and philosophical ideation as well. Further expanding on the aspect of India’s global leadership, Mann Ki Baat has also ensured that the country has positioned itself at the center of environmental concern.

PM Modi has presented the idea that Indian’s have always had such philosophies that encourage a man-nature co-existence and a sustainable development in this modern age. In one of the episodes of the series in 2018, he spoke about the universal partnership called the International Solar Alliance that India leads, whose basic aim is to tackle climate change. The linkage of environmental activism with how India has treated nature in the past works to build the narrative that the Indian cultural and spiritual domes are in a place where they can enhance the country’s efforts into global issues today.

In this context, Mann Ki Baat unpacks modern Indian engagement with globalization hand in hand with an exploration into the concept of India itself — what is its identity and future role? The most contentious nationalist streak in PM Modi’s speeches — one that compels him to invoke cultural glory, self-reliance, and indigenous wisdom more often than not — effectively calls on India to shift its gaze from the West towards itself as a measure of progress.

Mann Ki Baat, in other words, is a roadmap to the India of tomorrow — rooted in our culture but looking ahead; and where growth is not measured by what the world exemplifies as progress, but from within. The process of rediscovery that India orients itself to does not mean the rejection of modernity and globalization. It rather means finding the middle ground – the best of all the global advancements and the wealth of India’s own heritages and values.

PM Modi’s exhortation to the country to understand herself is, in the end, an urge to form a new vision of the country that does not reject its historical past, but instead – even more so – utilizes it in the present and the future, restoring its leadership among countries not only in terms of economics or politics but as a nation that offers a uniquely philosophical approach to development and growth.

Contributing Author: Priyanka Tripathi teaches English and Gender Studies at the Indian Institute of Technology Patna. She can be reached at priyankatripathi@iitp.ac.in

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