Three Years Of NaMo Government: An Investor's Point Of View

The equity markets in India are buzzing with volume and turnaround of even smallest and most insignificant stocks is bringing smiles in the faces of the retail investors. Things have changed in this country in the past three years, courtesy, its Chief Executive, Narendra Modi. Keenly observing him for last 19 years, Joydeep R Ray describes the three years' long journey of Modi as the captain of a steady-sailing ship, named India.

- Joydeep R Ray

That was a post-monsoon morning at Gandhinagar, the state capital of Gujarat. Outside, the dark clouds were busy playing hide and seek with the blue sky. Inside, at the official residence of the then Chief Minister of Gujarat, this author was awaiting eagerly for the man in demand, Narendra Damodardas Modi, at the helm of affairs and at the peak of controversies, not only nationally but across the globe in the post-Gujarat genocide days. The world media was chasing him for an interview for the last year-and-half –he denied all such requests but his media advisor, Jagdish Thakkar himself had called this author on August 6, 2003 morning asking him to come down to the residence of Modi for the interview. I was wondering what all he wanted to speak about—I was not carrying any questions ready with me, just because I knew nothing would work till he gave me some clues about the main talking points. Then he came, we sat next to a metal idol of Lord Krishna— face to face. His candid conversations that morning scripted a history in terms of redefining the word, 'development' in the dictionary of Gujarat and later of India.

"We will convert red tape into red carpet," he said with an absolute emphasis, making it clear that the interview would focus more on rapid development, industrialisation, rebuilding the image of Gujarat as an investor-friendly state, and his government as 'a pro-industrialisation' agency. We talked about various aspects of building a state, governance, bringing in investments, new industries, employment generation, reaching out to the world communicating Gujarat is the destination in terms of setting up of industries, of every shape, size and character. I lefthis highly-secured bungalow after an hour or so quite impressed.