A Practical Man

The eminent 20th century philosopher of language Ludwig Wittgenstein used to cite an anecdote to illustrate the gap between reality and our powers of observation and expression:
An old lady walked up to Mr. Wittgenstein after a lecture to ask him whether he believed that the Earth actually went around the Sun. "I certainly do" Mr. Wittgenstein said " It has been proven by science Madam". "Well" the old lady sniffed "It certainly looks as if the Sun goes around the Earth". " Well Madam" replied Ludwig, "tell me what, in your thinking, should it look like if it is the Earth which is actually going around the Sun?". The old lady walked away in a huff, determined to tell her bridge club about the obnoxious Mr. Wittgenstein.
For the past three months the chatterati in India have endlessly perambulated around essentially one topic:
Is Modi the real deal or is he just the latest carpetbagger to enter the ancient nest of quintessential carpetbaggers that is Delhi?

I cannot pretend to know the truth. And when I once-in-a-while listen to the chatter on TV and at the odd cocktail party I, quietly to myself, recall Wittgenstein's anecdote on perception and observation. Those living in glass houses see only a reflection of themselves.

So is Mr. Modi the real deal? Like I said I do not know. Only time will tell.

But one aspect of him I think I have begun to grasp. Above all he is a practical man.

Only a thoroughly practical man could have given the speech that he gave on the 15th of August. No invocation of the greatness of India. No grandiose schemes. No heavy panting of ideology or idolatry.
Just an agenda setting of stuff that you and me can do: discipline our sons and value or daughters, keep not just our homes but our neighbourhood clean and rise a little bit above our self-interest.

Stuff that our primary school civic sense lessons should have taught us but alas! evidently didn't. It might seem a steep climb from being a nation striving to meet standards of basic civic sense to becoming a nation of world-beaters.

But to the super- practical entity that I think Mr. Modi is, the curve that results from learning to be  a nation of clean cities, towns and villages is steep enough to take us to greater heights. It is the smallest wheel is a geared arrangement that will set the bigger wheel moving.

Think of Modi as a practical man and his politics also falls into place. A superbly practical man will play superbly practical politics, in other words realpolitik. No pussy footing around niceties and reputation.
T
here was one other Prime Minister we had who was. I think, on par with Mr. Modi on being a practical person: Mrs. Indira Gandhi. But she carried the baggage of Fabian, socialist ideology she inherited from her father - an ideology, that like any other ideology, came in her way of being practical in managing the nation's affairs. However her practicality was in full force when it came to her politics. The realpolitik that Mrs. Gandhi played was world class by any standards.