Making power a vehicle of seva

After the Modi government’s formation, we passed a resolution at the party’s national executive. It asserted, “We are not here merely for reform. Reform is good, but it is largely about tinkering with the existing system. PM Modi’s vision is transformative.” In the West, it is said that “a society gets a government it deserves”. But in the Mahabharata’s Shanti Parva, Bhishma tells Yudhishthira, “Raja kalasya karanam (the king is the master of the times).” Modi has implemented that transformative agenda.

There are two ways of doing that — one prescribed by the 15th-16th century Italian statesman Machiavelli, and the other professed by Kautilya, a scholar-minister in India in the third-fourth century BCE. In The Prince, Machiavelli proposed that “a prince who wants to keep his authority must learn how not to be good”. Kautilya, in contrast, argued that the happiness of a king lies in the happiness of his subjects. He insisted that the ruler must be disciplined and compassionate.

In calling for a month-long campaign of seva sankalp — commitment to service — on the completion of 25 years in public office, Modi demonstrated his commitment to Kautilyan principles. Seva is a uniquely Indian concept, to which the English word “service” doesn’t do complete justice. That’s why the Oxford English Dictionary made a separate entry for the word seva in 2024, defining it as “selfless service; the action or practice of rendering service to others…”. While the word “service” is seen broadly as an altruistic civic duty of a giver, seva is a spiritual concept that helps in self-purification and the elimination of ego, in which the giver is just a human while the receiver is regarded as the divine. The concept of nar seva (serving humans) as Narayan seva (serving God) is integral to Indian thinking.

Modi’s governance is based on that spiritual idea of serving society with devotion. Bhishma’s raj dharma talks about three qualities of a transformative ruler — saahas (courage), samvedna (compassion) and samadrishti (equanimity). Modi has demonstrated these qualities in his governance. The nation has witnessed his courage and compassion on several occasions, especially during his handling of the Covid crisis. His equanimity is evident in not allowing extreme levels of slander and criticism to impact his governance.

The Chinese philosopher Confucius was once asked a tricky question: “When you are slapped on one cheek, should you show the other cheek as some say, or should you respond in a way that, for one tooth, the entire jaw? Should one do good to those who do bad unto him, or should one respond to the evil doer in the same coin? Confucius responded with a counter-question: If you do good to those who do bad unto you, what do you do to those who do good unto you? His answer was: You should always do good to those who do good to you; but don’t do bad to those who do bad to you; give them justice. Justice is a higher idea that calls for a great sense of righteousness and equanimity. Modi’s governance personified that justice.

Some time ago, an article in Forbes magazine listed eight qualities of a successful leader: Honesty, communication skills, confidence, commitment, positive attitude, innovation, intuition, and inspiration. If a leader possesses several of these qualities, he will be a good leader. But the leader who possesses all of them is Narendra Modi.

The writer, president, India Foundation, is with the BJP