Caught up as we may be in the hurly burly of domestic Indian politics and the now-rather-routine image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi jetting off to yet another country, we might find it hard to fully appreciate the significance of his current visit to the United Kingdom.
The prime minister (and his writing staff), however, were not distracted. Modi's speech on Thursday in the British Parliament, the first by an Indian prime minister in the building that once controlled India's future, displayed a comfortable understanding of the history of the Indo-UK relationship as well as acknowledgment of where it stands today. And Modi did it, in part, by invoking pop-culture.
First he joked about British Prime MInister David Cameron being relieved that Parliament was not in session, then reminded him of royalties owed – no, not the reparations Shashi Tharoor ranted about – for having used the ab ki baar slogan during his campaign.
Across the next two paragraphs of his speech, Modi managed a concise distillation of where Indo-UK relations stand today.
Some of this is obvious stuff. You can't have Indians meeting Englishmen without joking sheepishly about cricket or tea. References to bhangra rap, curry and English novels were less expected, though no less appropriate. Equally unexpected, especially since he omitted all reference to India's first prime minister in the recent Indo-African conference in New Delhi, was Modi's decision to name check Jawaharlal Nehru.
Where Nehru might have taken this opportunity to wax eloquent about the nature of an independent India in a post-colonial world, Modi used a one-liner that emphasises how the once complex bilateral relationship has become largely about money: "It takes an Indian icon, Tata, to run a British icon and become your nation’s largest private sector employer."
Modi took the opportunity to list out his policy goals as prime minister and reminded the British Parliament of the many spheres across which the two countries continue to work with each other, more than six decades after they formally became separate entities. The prime minister sought to explain the relevance of India to modern Britain not by way of the two countries' shared past, but by emphasising India's demographics and strategic value. "The progress of India is the destiny of one-sixth of humanity. And, it will also mean a world more confident of its prosperity; and, more secure about its future," Modi said.
The rest of the speech pulls up other surprising references: Mahatma Gandhi was to be expected, David Beckham (as an idol to India's footballers) less so. Shakespeare did come up, but Modi also quoted directly from TS Eliot: "We won’t let the shadow fall between the idea and reality."
And the prime minister concluded with by acknowledging another one of those freedom fighters whose achievements were truly a product of the Indo-UK relationship.
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The prime minister (and his writing staff), however, were not distracted. Modi's speech on Thursday in the British Parliament, the first by an Indian prime minister in the building that once controlled India's future, displayed a comfortable understanding of the history of the Indo-UK relationship as well as acknowledgment of where it stands today. And Modi did it, in part, by invoking pop-culture.
First he joked about British Prime MInister David Cameron being relieved that Parliament was not in session, then reminded him of royalties owed – no, not the reparations Shashi Tharoor ranted about – for having used the ab ki baar slogan during his campaign.
Across the next two paragraphs of his speech, Modi managed a concise distillation of where Indo-UK relations stand today.
So much of the modern history of India is linked to this building. So much history looms across our relationship. There are others who have spoken forcefully on the debts and dues of history. I will only say that many freedom fighters of India found their calling in the institutions of Britain. And, many makers of modern India, including several of my distinguished predecessors, from Jawaharlal Nehru to Dr. Manmohan Singh, passed through their doors.
There are many things on which it is hard to tell anymore if they are British or Indian: The Jaguar or the Scotland Yard, for example. The Brooke Bond tea or my friend late Lord Ghulam Nun’s curry. And, our strongest debates are whether the Lord’s pitch swings unfairly or the wicket at Eden Gardens cracks too early. And, we love the bhangra rap from London just as you like the English novel from India.
Some of this is obvious stuff. You can't have Indians meeting Englishmen without joking sheepishly about cricket or tea. References to bhangra rap, curry and English novels were less expected, though no less appropriate. Equally unexpected, especially since he omitted all reference to India's first prime minister in the recent Indo-African conference in New Delhi, was Modi's decision to name check Jawaharlal Nehru.
Where Nehru might have taken this opportunity to wax eloquent about the nature of an independent India in a post-colonial world, Modi used a one-liner that emphasises how the once complex bilateral relationship has become largely about money: "It takes an Indian icon, Tata, to run a British icon and become your nation’s largest private sector employer."
Modi took the opportunity to list out his policy goals as prime minister and reminded the British Parliament of the many spheres across which the two countries continue to work with each other, more than six decades after they formally became separate entities. The prime minister sought to explain the relevance of India to modern Britain not by way of the two countries' shared past, but by emphasising India's demographics and strategic value. "The progress of India is the destiny of one-sixth of humanity. And, it will also mean a world more confident of its prosperity; and, more secure about its future," Modi said.
The rest of the speech pulls up other surprising references: Mahatma Gandhi was to be expected, David Beckham (as an idol to India's footballers) less so. Shakespeare did come up, but Modi also quoted directly from TS Eliot: "We won’t let the shadow fall between the idea and reality."
And the prime minister concluded with by acknowledging another one of those freedom fighters whose achievements were truly a product of the Indo-UK relationship.
"Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, whose 125th birth anniversary we are celebrating now, was not just an architect of India’s Constitution and our parliamentary democracy. He also stood for the upliftment of the weak, the oppressed and the excluded. And, he lifted us all to a higher cause in the service of humanity; to build a future of justice, equality, opportunity and dignity for all humans; and, peace among people.
That is the cause to which India and the United Kingdom have dedicated themselves today."