India exhales in relief, now that Modiji is leading us into the heaven of fitness where the anti-national mind is with fear but the body is without backache.
Other politicians want to be family. Chacha Nehru. Amma. Didi. Behenji.
Narendra Modi is different. He wants to be our guru. A fitness guru for generations. The Green Revolution was so 20th century. It is time for the ‘fitness revolution’ and Modiji will be its virtual leader.
Even as he advocated a “fit India”, Modi released a video of his 3D self doing the trikonasana.
“I surely am a yoga practitioner and, yet, some people, through their creativity, made me a yoga teacher as well, and 3D, animated videos of my yoga practice sessions have been prepared,” he said.
Who these creative people are is yet unclear, but the video of an animated Modiji, with a full head of silver hair, in a blue t-shirt and track pants, doing his asana against a backdrop of meadows and flowering plants is a masterstroke. Some might be unsettled at the strangely deliberate way 3D Modi blinks, but when he inhales deep, the nation will exhale in relief, knowing that we can all breathe easy now that Modiji is leading us into the heaven of fitness, where the anti-national mind is with fear but the body is without backache.
The original yoga guru, Baba Ramdev, might wonder whether he just had his yoga mat pulled out from under him by 3D Modiji but that’s a small price to pay in the greater cause of yoga.
There are more videos to come, and in languages other than English and Hindi. Perhaps the new ones will have 3D Modi in other outfits better suited to desh bhakti. Might we suggest the spotless swachh white he wore on International Yoga Day with the dupatta in national colours? How about a different outfit for each asana? The bakasana while wearing the hornbill hat of Nagaland; the ustrasana, or the camel pose, while sporting a colourful Rajasthani turban? What about the halasana, or the plough pose, to demonstrate how the government feels the pain of beleaguered farmers nationwide?
This could become an exercise in unity-in-diversity while teaching generations to come about their yogic inheritance. That’s a win-win in any political playbook.
Cynics would say it’s entirely fitting that the series has been launched with the right way to do the trikonasana. After all, Narendra Modi has already demonstrated his great expertise at triangulation when it comes to getting his way in politics. Next up — the padmasana atop his party’s electoral symbol?
In a way, this is only to be expected from the man who campaigned via hologram during the elections so that he could be at many rallies at the same time. Modi has always been a digital media pioneer and innovator. While we smirk at ‘yoga Modi’, we forget how effective Narendra Modi has been at selling himself as a brand.
Instead of the heavy-handed ways of the sycophantic Congress, with its old-school cut-outs of its first family and its efforts to name everything after the Gandhis, the BJP under Modi understands the power of soft culture. Modi grasps that it has a far more lasting impact than a hoarding of the great leader looming over a highway.
It’s a savvier and friendlier way of building a brand in the 21st century. Whether the moves emanate from the BJP or not is moot. They are happy to have them there, building up the brand of their leader.
There have been ‘Bal Narendra’ comic books brought out by Rannade Prakashan, which show Modi rescuing a drowning boy, jumping into crocodile-infested waters, taking on school bullies and saving trapped birds. Nehru jackets have been supplanted by NaMo jacket stores that promise “fashion with nation”, inspired by Modi’s speech about ‘Brand India’, and, of course, the famous Modi kurtas. Mithai shops have sold Modi pedas, and a Gujarati business group planned a ‘smart NaMo’ smartphone.
The Khadi Village Industries Commission caused a ruckus when its 2017 calendar had a photo of Modi weaving khadi on a large charkha in the pose made classic by its usual brand ambassador, Mahatma Gandhi. There was a NaMo youth anthem during the election that told India to listen up, pump up the volume and remember, “He was a commoner who started just as a tea vendor, Now he is a conqueror, we call him the last air-bender.”
From air-bender to yoga bender is just a small jump.
Through it all, one thing remains consistent — the projection of Modi as the strong unblinking leader. “The archetype he offers is of a strong all-knowing father figure who is unwavering,” says brand guru Santosh Desai.
Modi is the one who knows the answers. His ‘Exam Warriors’ book, priced at just Rs 100 and listing 25 mantras to help students overcome their fear of examinations, is an example of how astutely Modi understands what aspiring India wants — competitive success rather than wisdom.
Yoga guru Modi is perfectly in keeping with that image. It leads his followers in reclaiming India’s ancient Hindu traditions but with tools that fit a 21st century world. It projects Modi as the man who leads by example, who knows the right way to do everything, from cracking the fear of examinations to yoga poses.
“For the middle class, the idea of ‘Brand India’ becomes a vehicle of participation and acts as a sign that the country has more active and articulate stakeholders who espouse its cause aggressively,” wrote Desai back in 2011, and Narendra Modi understands the power of that articulation (and aspiration) very well.
Until now, the name of Narendra Modi had been turned into a commodity that could sell and be sold. The 3D Modi is far more versatile. It can do yoga poses the real Modi physically cannot. It does not have to age. It can be leaner and fitter. The possibilities are mind-boggling. One just wonders what’s next for those too young to do yoga? A Modi plushie, or a Modi Barbie doll?
Sandip Roy is a journalist, commentator and author.
Swami Ramdevji looks like a yoga master; no person who practices yoga regularly can be centrally obese.