He is among India’s most effective speakers in
Gujarati and Hindi. But Modi begins groping for
words the moment he begins speaking in
English.
By Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay
Narendra Modi's Biographer
By all accounts this was Prime Minister Narendra
Modi's most laboured effort in public speaking.
There is no doubt that he is among India's most
effective speakers in Gujarati and Hindi — in that
order. But Mr Modi begins groping for words the
moment he begins speaking in English.
It is not simply a matter of rustic pronunciation, but
it is a question of thought process — his linguistic
programme doesn't run in English but in either his
mother tongue or the one in which he has conducted
political discourse for most of his political career,
now more than four decades old.
If one goes back to the video of his Sriharikota
speech, there is no escaping that the first time Mr
Modi breaks into a smile after beginning is well after
five-and-ahalf minutes. That is when he switches to
Hindi: and he elaborates that Indian space science
has come of age compared to times when satellites
were transported on bicycles! This continues
throughout his speech; his body becomes more
fluid, his voice surer and his eyes focussed.
Despite this the effort was remarkable for a few
reasons. He must have made quite an effort to
prepare for this speech. The speech writer would
have laboured to make the points not appear very
technical yet not very commonplace. In the end the
headline points came from two issues — choice of
language and the call for a Saarc satellite.
Why did Mr Modi choose to speak in English? Was it
simply to score a personal point that he could
deliver a public lecture without a teleprompter (it
did not appear that he was using one — and if he
did, he is surely competition for TV anchors)? Or
was there a deeper political reason? Since Mr Modi's
electoral campaign began in the middle of 2013, his
lack of comfort with English was often discussed and
this was not liked by NaMo admirers.
Critics got a shot in the arm when Mr Modi decided
to use an interpreter in meetings with foreign
leaders. But that was a ploy to tide over handicap in
comprehending English spoken in a different accent.
It was also a tool used by Chinese and Japanese most
frequently togain precious seconds before
responding during a dialogue.
Critics forgot that Mr Modi was comfortable in
English during TV talk shows in the late 1990s when
he was Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary. But
he needed concession to be able to break into Hindi
whenever he felt boxed by a limitation.
The Sriharikota speech 'had' to be made in English
for political reasons. It is less than a fortnight after
the language controversy erupted following a home
ministry directive to use Hindi in the social media.
The question of imposition of Hindi has a long
history of strife and protests south of Vindyas
especially in Tamil Nadu.
There were loud objections led by Chief Minister J
Jayalalithaa, at the directive. The Centre has doused
the passions and Mr Modi would not have wanted to
stoke linguistic embers by speaking in Hindi. He
decided to ward off a political flash point by risking
personal derision. The other headline point is related
to his effort to emerge as a regional leader. A Saarc
satellite?
Well nothing really has been stated beyond that so
we do not know if the statement has been made
after assessing space science backgrounds of other
Saarc countries. Do they actually want a gift in a
satellite and then to do what with it? Do they have
the wherewithal on the ground to manage satellites?
Will the gesture be seen as India attempting to play
Big Brother? Will it not be better if diplomatic
groundwork was done before prime ministerial
assertions? It must have been a great day for Mr
Modi which will end with a smile or two. Though not
exactly a Prime Minister's Day Out, but this was
surely among the more joyful days since he assumed
the top job.
Gujarati and Hindi. But Modi begins groping for
words the moment he begins speaking in
English.
By Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay
Narendra Modi's Biographer
By all accounts this was Prime Minister Narendra
Modi's most laboured effort in public speaking.
There is no doubt that he is among India's most
effective speakers in Gujarati and Hindi — in that
order. But Mr Modi begins groping for words the
moment he begins speaking in English.
It is not simply a matter of rustic pronunciation, but
it is a question of thought process — his linguistic
programme doesn't run in English but in either his
mother tongue or the one in which he has conducted
political discourse for most of his political career,
now more than four decades old.
If one goes back to the video of his Sriharikota
speech, there is no escaping that the first time Mr
Modi breaks into a smile after beginning is well after
five-and-ahalf minutes. That is when he switches to
Hindi: and he elaborates that Indian space science
has come of age compared to times when satellites
were transported on bicycles! This continues
throughout his speech; his body becomes more
fluid, his voice surer and his eyes focussed.
Despite this the effort was remarkable for a few
reasons. He must have made quite an effort to
prepare for this speech. The speech writer would
have laboured to make the points not appear very
technical yet not very commonplace. In the end the
headline points came from two issues — choice of
language and the call for a Saarc satellite.
Why did Mr Modi choose to speak in English? Was it
simply to score a personal point that he could
deliver a public lecture without a teleprompter (it
did not appear that he was using one — and if he
did, he is surely competition for TV anchors)? Or
was there a deeper political reason? Since Mr Modi's
electoral campaign began in the middle of 2013, his
lack of comfort with English was often discussed and
this was not liked by NaMo admirers.
Critics got a shot in the arm when Mr Modi decided
to use an interpreter in meetings with foreign
leaders. But that was a ploy to tide over handicap in
comprehending English spoken in a different accent.
It was also a tool used by Chinese and Japanese most
frequently togain precious seconds before
responding during a dialogue.
Critics forgot that Mr Modi was comfortable in
English during TV talk shows in the late 1990s when
he was Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary. But
he needed concession to be able to break into Hindi
whenever he felt boxed by a limitation.
The Sriharikota speech 'had' to be made in English
for political reasons. It is less than a fortnight after
the language controversy erupted following a home
ministry directive to use Hindi in the social media.
The question of imposition of Hindi has a long
history of strife and protests south of Vindyas
especially in Tamil Nadu.
There were loud objections led by Chief Minister J
Jayalalithaa, at the directive. The Centre has doused
the passions and Mr Modi would not have wanted to
stoke linguistic embers by speaking in Hindi. He
decided to ward off a political flash point by risking
personal derision. The other headline point is related
to his effort to emerge as a regional leader. A Saarc
satellite?
Well nothing really has been stated beyond that so
we do not know if the statement has been made
after assessing space science backgrounds of other
Saarc countries. Do they actually want a gift in a
satellite and then to do what with it? Do they have
the wherewithal on the ground to manage satellites?
Will the gesture be seen as India attempting to play
Big Brother? Will it not be better if diplomatic
groundwork was done before prime ministerial
assertions? It must have been a great day for Mr
Modi which will end with a smile or two. Though not
exactly a Prime Minister's Day Out, but this was
surely among the more joyful days since he assumed
the top job.
