By Diya Kumari
As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of our Independence, it would be quite pertinent to take a moment to reflect on how India as a nation, has arrived on the global stage. It is an occasion to celebrate and cherish that how we as a nation rebooted to build a new India, an India that is strong, confident, and compassionate – with a worldview that fosters global peace, harmony, and the well-being of humanity as a whole.
When India was floundering in its economic growth, with high inflation, and the morale of the masses was low, Prime Minister Narendra Modi provided strong and decisive leadership just when the country needed it the most.
PM Modi is not afraid of biting the bullet and taking hard decisions in the interests of the nation, even if it meant causing momentary disruptions. Such decisive and bold leadership was the need of the hour to bring radical behavioral changes essential for the nation to make progress at a pace that was desirable and possible as well.
On Path of Becoming Vishwa Guru
What PM Modi did was to get the nation to believe in itself and its prowess in many fields and that it can compete and beat the best in the world, but for that hard work and sacrifices were necessary. This is why the masses bought into his belief of short-term pain for long-term gain and extended support to his every move aimed at improving a lot of the downtrodden and the poorest of the poor.
Armed with the boundless love, affection, and support of the masses, PM Modi embarked on a mission to make India Great – in the comity of nations and restore its status as “Vishwa Guru” – teacher to the world, as new geo-political ground realities threaten world peace and harmony.
Amid growing tensions in conflict zones in different parts of the world, it is the sagacious leadership of PM Modi that the world leaders are seeking. Modi’s demonstrable successes at home for sure add to his overall persona as a world leader who has a clear-cut vision for the progress of humanity and the world.
Operation Ganga
The respect for PM Modi and India was very much in evidence when India stepped in to rescue and brings home all its students caught up in the Ukraine war. All the neighboring countries opened up their spaces for the Indian Mission – Operation Ganga – in which more than 20,000 Indians, mostly students, were brought back to India from cities like Kyiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv, on special commercial and transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force.
PM Modi’s direct intervention facilitated Operation Ganga smoothly, with the warring countries providing safe passage for the foreign nationals caught up in the war. Even senior ministers were deployed to attend to the finer details and facilitate the smooth return of our students. Proper planning, efficient logistics, and pinpoint accurate coordination of Operation Ganga, ensured that no Indian was left behind in the war zone.
Indian Ocean: Reclaiming India’s own Backyard
Similarly, India today has a domineering presence in the Indian Ocean – the hub of world sea trade and logistics route that gives India immense strategic and geographical advantages in international trade and resultant geopolitics. Post-Independence, India squandered this advantage for decades due to limited focus on developing the ability to dominate the blue waters. Under Modi, India has begun demonstrating its military might with substantial naval presence and is able to muscle in on to gain territorial dominance of the strategic Indo-Pacific region.
Decisive Strategy on World Stage
Now let’s take a look at the position and respect given to India today on the world stage. QUAD, a group comprising the United States, Australia, India, and Japan, is one such example. To deal with China’s increasing assertiveness, the four nations are readying for stepped-up cooperation – with four navies holding joint exercises in the Indian Ocean and in the Indo-Pacific.
Moreover, PM Modi’s one-to-one bonhomie with the world leaders and foreign policy initiatives have solid economic reasoning, that has placed India in a position to organize the world in dealing with the Chinese assertions in different arenas. India’s joining the US-led Indo-Pacific Economic Bloc is being seen with great interest by world leaders.
With PM Modi, it is always India first, and what works for India best.
Promoting Local with Global Worldview
The renewed stress on “Aatmanirbharta” – self-reliance in everything we do – from the fight against covid-19 and coming out with our own vaccine, to food production to manufacturing and services – has already begun yielding results for the country. India, in fact, today is the vaccine capital of the world.
It is also a matter of great pride that in the field of defense equipment exports – including Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles, and Tejas, Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), Pinaka – the multi-barrel rocket launchers, and the Combat Management System – our plan of doubling the defense exports by 2025 seems very much achievable.
India at World Forum
India under PM Modi has far greater chances of securing a permanent seat at the United Nations (UN) Security Council than ever before. India at present is a non-permanent member of the UN after it was elected for two years of tenure last year. It is a matter of great pride that today, four out of the five permanent member nations of the UN Security Council are supporting India’s candidature for a permanent seat in the top world body.
I have no doubt in my mind that PM Modi will not rest till he achieves this distinction for the country.
Clearly, PM Modi has changed the country’s destiny for the better – to emerge as a self-confident and self-reliant nation – one that the world sits up and takes notice of. I dare say that he has in a short time restored the lost pride, prestige, and glory as the “Vishwa Guru” and raised the global profile of the country.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, India not only took care of its own population but also gave life-saving vaccines to the rest of the world, whosoever needed them the most and could not otherwise procure. Moreover, it was Modi’s leadership and vision that enabled India to reboot her economy faster and with greater efficiency.
PM Modi has set the direction for the nation for the near and distant future. It is in the right direction, and for sure under his guidance, we will only gather pace and acceleration in the times to come.
(The writer is the Member of Parliament from Rajsamand, Rajasthan. She also works for women empowerment through Princess Diya Kumari Foundation based in Jaipur, India.)
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Disclaimer: The views expressed are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times
