Narendra Modi’s address to Congress, the delicate art of speech-writing, and a few personal thoughts.

While ten years of Narendra Modi’s government and governance may raise a few uncomfortable questions about the status of democratic values and human rights in India; there is no doubt – and I mean it – about the leadership caliber of the man himself, the gravitas of his personality, his mesmerizing public speaking skills, that have done nothing but great good to bolster the image of democratic India’s coming of age in the eyes of the world. After nearly ten years in the highest elected office in the country, a few wrinkles can now be seen on his radiant face, and his once energetic gait has perhaps slowed down a bit, but all of this is secondary and becomes irrelevant when he rises up to speak and his roaring voice ripples across the hall: the oratorical style, the synchronized dance of his gestures( especially his hands) that sync to the flowing undulations and cadences of his sentences, and the rhetorical flourishes that punctuate his speeches continue to hold audiences spell-bound throughout the world. Like Atal Bihari Vajpayee – Modi’s illustrious predecessor in the later 90s, he is blessed with the gift of oratory – a skill that is indispensable and invaluable to leaders, especially political ones. The contrast cannot be more striking and conspicuous if we juxtapose Modi’s speaking skills with the performances of the educated and academically more accomplished Prime ministers of the past. When, for instance, Dr. Manmohan Singh spoke in public, words came out with hesitation and reluctance and made it obvious he was reading a doctored script and did not quite believe in what he uttered, but on the other hand, when Modi speaks, conviction oozes out of each word, doctrine, and idealogy he delivers. Even when he is forced to walk the tightrope and has to subtly bend facts to reconcile the broader interests of the nation with the compulsions of his political party, his voice doesn’t waver, nor does his body language betray any sense of ambiguity or unease. He is razor-sharp in his public speeches, and what he conveys comes out with forceful clarity. It is a gift, and Modi uses it well.

Modi’s second address in six years ( a rare honor) to the joint session of the US Congress was once again a master class in the art of public speaking. It is a remarkable performance considering the prime minister is not as comfortable speaking in English as in Hindi. Apart from the heavy accent that is quite natural to a non-native English speaker, and the mispronunciation of a few words that are by their very nature phonetically not very intuitive, Modi’s execution, in my opinion, was flawless. It didn’t seem he was reading out of a script. The delivery was natural and effortless. Not many congressmen or congresswomen in the hall could have delivered a speech with the same oratorical authority and finesse that Modi did. It was evident through the numerous moments of applause that the audience followed every nuance of this well-written speech, studded with exquisite phrases and carefully constructed sentences. The trademark of Modi’s style was in full display with his voice touching the high octaves for emphasis and descending to the lows to make a point, and deliberately pausing in between for dramatic effect. Just as Pavarotti, the great Italian tenor could hold an audience spellbound by the sheer power of his operatic voice, Modi in full flow is an experience by itself. I have said this before, whenever I listen to Modi in full flow, I am often reminded of the French savant Romain Rolland’s marvelous description of Swami Vivekananda’s oratorical skills: “ His words are great music, phrases in the style of Beethoven, stirring rhythms like the March of Handel choruses”. That is how it sounds when Modi makes his important speeches.

It is certain a team of speech writers would have drafted the initial versions of Modi’s address. This is common practice in political circles. Speech writing is a specialized skill, and quite different from writing an essay or a piece of non-fiction. Writing speeches for leaders who have a natural gift for oration like Modi, for instance, or Obama is an even greater challenge. The speeches written for them have to be drafted carefully keeping in mind the tone and style the speaker is known for. It should reflect the personality of the speaker and factor in the improvisations the speakers are bound to produce. Just as a novelist or a cinema scriptwriter would have to get into the skin of the characters to write appropriate dialogues, a speechwriter has to understand the speaker’s intellectual abilities, and communication style and flourishes, otherwise, it will sound artificial and convoluted. I just finished reading Ben Rhode’s book “The World as it is”. Ben was a former speech writer and policy adviser for President Obama ( one of the most fluent speakers in modern times) during both his terms as President. He started working on Obama’s campaign during his 2008 run for Presidency, and then quickly became a part of the President’s close inner circle. In his well-written memoir, Ben talks about the essence of writing speeches. He writes “If you are a speechwriter, you have to know what the person you’re writing for thinks. A lot of foreign policy advisers are thinking, ‘How can I get my proposal into this guy’s speech?’ I was just thinking, ‘What does he want to say?” Political speech writing, in essence, is about collecting politically acceptable positions and making them sound like personal opinions. In the West, especially in the USA, Presidents have always relied on speech writers to give them the initial drafts with all the facts, figures, and quotes, and then work on it to give it the final form and shape. Even Presidents known for their rhetorical skills such as FDR, Kennedy, Nixon, and Reagan had their own speech writers. On December 7th,1941, when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, FDR addressed the nation. In his message that day, he used the memorable and immortal phrase -” A date which will live in infamy”, which resonated with Americans and galvanized them to war. In the original draft given to FDR, his speech writers had the following sentence – “A date which will live in world history”. FDR stuck out the phrase ” world history” and replaced it with “infamy”. That made all the difference.

Those who have watched Aaron Sorokin’s seven-season “West Wing” ( 1999 – 2006), a brilliant recreation of life at the White House, would know how critical a role speech-writers play in a President’s professional life, not merely as their word smiths, but as bouncing boards for the Presidents ideas, opinions and policies. In India, However, we rarely hear about people who are behind the Prime minister’s speeches. Although it is evident, Prime ministers must have their speech writers considering the number of speeches they have to make on a daily basis, their names are generally not common knowledge. In 2021, a popular Indian magazine, out of curiosity, filed an RTI to know who Modi’s speech writer was, and the response from the Government was this: “Depending upon the nature of the event, various individuals, officials, departments, entities, organizations, etc. provide inputs for PM’s speech and the speech is given final shape by the PM himself.” The government was reluctant to give out names. It is just a cultural trait, I think. To advertise that somebody else has written one’s speech can be considered a sign of weakness. But speaking of Modi, and his passion for the spoken word, I am sure, he crafts the final drafts of the important speeches himself.

Modi’s speech this time was quite different in emphasis than the one he gave in 2016. It was as balanced, well thought-through, and delivered in the majestic style we have come to expect; but what was different was showcasing India’s progress since the last time. This was a confident Modi, who knows that India is a significant economic and political player on the world stage. Modi’s demeanor during the speech was more relaxed, a little patronizing perhaps, but definitely exuded mature confidence in the future of India and the strengthening of the Indo-US partnership. Early on in the speech, his reference to AI, as an acronym for an America-India partnership, and pointing to Kamal Harris as an example of how far and deep Indians have come , set the tone for the rest of the speech. There were no Walt Whitman poems this time, instead, he recited a poem he had penned. Apart from the customary references to Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr, there were no historical flourishes. Instead, there were quotes from the Rig Veda underlining the origins of the democratic ideal. In all, this address emphasized the shift in the nature of the relationship between the two countries over the last decade. With such a huge diaspora of Indians living in the US and some of the biggest companies in the US being run by Indian CEOs, it only points to greater partnerships and deeper relationships. This is Modi’s sixth official visit to the United States, but only the first to be officially designated as a “State visit”, the highest honor accorded to any head of state. Over the last decade, Modi has met all three US Presidents numerous times. Modi’s meeting with the Indian population was a mellowed affair in Washington; nothing extravagant or at the scale of his 2019 visit when nearly 50,000 Indians gathers in Houston for the “Howdy Modi” event, organized by the Trump administration. It was the biggest event of its kind ever, and it whipped up a lot of patriotic passion and caught the attention of the world. This time around, the occasion was more subdued.

I didn’t set out to write an essay on Modi’s speech, but this has turned out to be one. As an Indian living abroad, it is always a joy to see my homeland celebrated and honored. The joy is primeval, and cannot be explained. From Modi’s first official US visit in 2014 to this one, he has consistently earned the respect of his peers. The world States recognize India as its strategic partner to preserve and widen its economic interests in Asia, and in the process, they have embraced Modi as a strong Indian leader with a firm party behind him whom they can rely on to maintain that delicate balance in the area. Equally important is the fact that there are nearly 4 million Indians in the US today, and the number is steadily increasing each day. So the need to cooperate and work together is mutual and not one-sided as it used to be a couple of decades ago. The 2024 general elections in India will decide if Modi will be offered a third term as prime minister. I think he will be unless something catastrophic happens between now and then.