<p>It struck a chord with the aam janta and the sarkari babus. From toilets for girls, “zero-defect made-in-India products” to e-governance, Narendra Modi’s maiden Independence Day speech was a contrast to speeches of yesteryear.<br /><br /></p>.<p>His critics found his juggling between words “contrived” but appreciated his “oratorical skills”. Schoolchildren thought it was worth waking up at 5 am on a holiday after shaking hands with the Pradhan Mantri. <br /><br />“Will he be able to achieve zero defects and zero effects in India-made products?” a Ministry of Home Affairs official said as one of the giant screens blacked out right after the Prime Minister promised to make India the biggest exporter of goods. <br /><br />A naval officer remarked the choice of words throughout the speech made it less of an extempore. “But who can deny this man speaks well?”<br /><br />A college student, Radhika, said this was the first time she had come to listen to the Prime Minister’s speech. <br /><br />“Modi had a takeaway line for everybody here. I particularly liked it when he said parents should monitor their sons’ actions instead of regulating their daughters, to stop rapes.”<br />Elderly couples thought it was moving for the PM to mention in a public speech how sons leave their parents in old age homes. <br /><br />“This is why I came from Jahangirpuri to listen to him. This is a speech easy to understand,” said Girja Devi, who works as a domestic help.Beyond the VIP enclosure, the crowd cheered as Modi spoke of the immediate need of toilets for women and debit cards for the poor. <br /><br />Tea sellers had a reason to cheer too. “When there is talk of tea seller, I feel a sense of belongingness.”<br /><br />The speech was dotted with light moments too. The crowd broke into laughter as the PM said it is sad that sarkari babus reaching office on time makes news. <br /><br />“So from tomorrow it is at least 13 hours of work,” a government official said, grinning at the remark.<br /><br />The other best one-liner was probably when he spoke of the indifference of the public to what does not affect them. <br /><br />“Iss mein mera kya, toh mujhe kya – I think it perfectly rounded up the general mentality. It was hilarious the way he said it but meaningful too,” an engineer who came with her three-month-old daughter said.<br /><br />The enclosure saw several women with infants listening to the speech. “It better he starts learning early,” joked a homemaker, pointing towards her one-year-old son fast asleep on her lap.<br /><br />The young crowd jostling to click Modi on their cellphones showed his popularity among the young voters. <br /><br />“Finally it was worth buying this iPhone,” a young executive said, showing off Modi shaking hands with schoolchildren to her cousins. <br /></p>
<p>It struck a chord with the aam janta and the sarkari babus. From toilets for girls, “zero-defect made-in-India products” to e-governance, Narendra Modi’s maiden Independence Day speech was a contrast to speeches of yesteryear.<br /><br /></p>.<p>His critics found his juggling between words “contrived” but appreciated his “oratorical skills”. Schoolchildren thought it was worth waking up at 5 am on a holiday after shaking hands with the Pradhan Mantri. <br /><br />“Will he be able to achieve zero defects and zero effects in India-made products?” a Ministry of Home Affairs official said as one of the giant screens blacked out right after the Prime Minister promised to make India the biggest exporter of goods. <br /><br />A naval officer remarked the choice of words throughout the speech made it less of an extempore. “But who can deny this man speaks well?”<br /><br />A college student, Radhika, said this was the first time she had come to listen to the Prime Minister’s speech. <br /><br />“Modi had a takeaway line for everybody here. I particularly liked it when he said parents should monitor their sons’ actions instead of regulating their daughters, to stop rapes.”<br />Elderly couples thought it was moving for the PM to mention in a public speech how sons leave their parents in old age homes. <br /><br />“This is why I came from Jahangirpuri to listen to him. This is a speech easy to understand,” said Girja Devi, who works as a domestic help.Beyond the VIP enclosure, the crowd cheered as Modi spoke of the immediate need of toilets for women and debit cards for the poor. <br /><br />Tea sellers had a reason to cheer too. “When there is talk of tea seller, I feel a sense of belongingness.”<br /><br />The speech was dotted with light moments too. The crowd broke into laughter as the PM said it is sad that sarkari babus reaching office on time makes news. <br /><br />“So from tomorrow it is at least 13 hours of work,” a government official said, grinning at the remark.<br /><br />The other best one-liner was probably when he spoke of the indifference of the public to what does not affect them. <br /><br />“Iss mein mera kya, toh mujhe kya – I think it perfectly rounded up the general mentality. It was hilarious the way he said it but meaningful too,” an engineer who came with her three-month-old daughter said.<br /><br />The enclosure saw several women with infants listening to the speech. “It better he starts learning early,” joked a homemaker, pointing towards her one-year-old son fast asleep on her lap.<br /><br />The young crowd jostling to click Modi on their cellphones showed his popularity among the young voters. <br /><br />“Finally it was worth buying this iPhone,” a young executive said, showing off Modi shaking hands with schoolchildren to her cousins. <br /></p>
