The ‘Global Leader’ Complex: Sycophancy and Religious Nationalism Turned India Into a Majoritarian / Authoritarian State

As I exited the Hyderabad airport in India, the city of my birth, I was greeted by a cut out of the Prime Minister, staged as though he was personally welcoming me. A small placard read “Yatri Seva Divas,” meaning “travelers service day.” It was not apparent if that was a day made up for him to be present there, like “Yoga Day,” or it was just an excuse.

I have been traveling across this nation the last few weeks. I am here for some research and development for my next film. I have been staying in hotels and at  homes of family and friends. Taking planes and going on long road trips to the deep interiors of the country and to popular tourist spots and major urban centers.

From Hyderabad to Bangalore, Udaipur to Ahmedabad, one gets a varied impression of how India has developed and become an economic juggernaut over the past few decades.

Trapped in cars in its choked traffic, brightly lit gigantic billboards loom over you, offering luxury living in gated communities and loans to buy that BMW and latest iPhone. The panoramic view from your window shows a rising India in its towers and neon-lit malls and skyways. Religion is on public display, in your face everywhere you turn, on streets, on TV, in movies, as loud and garish as it can be.

My morning here always begins with a physical newspaper in hand and a coffee. The newspapers are thin and mostly consist of flashy advertisements. Even the front page sometimes is an advertisement and one has to turn a few broadsheets before arriving at the news headlines.

Cacophonous Media

What has become a common trend is to see full page advertisements taken out by various industrial sectors thanking Prime Minister Modi for reducing taxes and invigorating their industry. One cannot turn a page without noticing his image in some corner or another either as news or a paid advertisement. With his birthday being celebrated the prostration was even more pronounced, thanking him for “making India great again.”

Watching Indian news television is witnessing a cacophony of voices engaged in a shouting match. A screen cluttered with exploding heads and garish flashing captions can cause whiplash and breaking news is literally meant to break your very being in its presentation.

Most talking heads are engaged in praising Modi and his accomplishments, with a few others thrown in for good measure to make it feel “fair and balanced.” The host moderating the cacophony is most often an ardent supporter.

The state television “Doordarshan,” delivered in as many languages as spoken in this diverse land, is the most well oiled tax payer funded PR machine for the government, and the prime minister. Whether he is on a foreign trip or inaugurating a bridge, tunnel or train in a remote part of the nation, wall to wall coverage dominates the channels showing him dressed in one outlandish head gear/outfit or another. He seems to be channeling the diversity of the nation through his costumes.

When he is shown on the screen, he is most often framed alone. No one is allowed to clutter the shot or “photobomb” the frame. The various crowns he wears, project him more like a monarch than an elected leader of a democratic nation.

In a land known for Godmen, where the Sai Babas and Sadgurus influence millions, it is not surprising that the prime minister has fashioned himself to be one of their ilk. The Indian psyche, reared to respect authority and enforce hierarchy, is conditioned to look for “gurus,” waiting to be told what to do, and thus prone to authoritarian leadership. Maybe a vestige of its colonial past.

Growing up I remember people often saying “India needs a dictator” to set things right. Only a strong draconian leader can fix the chaos and clean the dirt that line our streets. If only we had someone who could rule with an iron fist and bring order, they would say. Finally, eleven years ago many think that this wish has been fulfilled.

The prime minister’s cult of personality is probably more influential than any saffron clad turban-crowned Godman in India today. So much so that every powerful “Spiritual leader” in the country have chosen to fall at his feet.

To some he is a “vishwa guru,” “global leader” and his carefully crafted persona is considered transformational to his faithful followers. For others, India was in the dark ages before he emerged on the scene, and his eleven year rule has moved India at the pace of a bullet train to become the fourth largest economy of the world.

Sycophancy is ingrained in the Indian DNA. It has been successfully inculcated by its political class since India’s independence. The first prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru spawned a political dynasty that thrived on demanding loyalty and obedience from its members and still does. The dynasty continues to hold sway over the Congress Party, the main opposition party in parliament.

Brainwashed into Subjugation

But the BJP and the Prime Minister have taken sycophancy to a level not witnessed in the recent past. Effectively brainwashing a nation to the point of subjugation. Where criticism of the government is seen as an affront to development. It is advertised and believed the Prime Minister is the only brain trust within the government from whose mind every great idea stems and flows. America seems to be emulating this trend in Donald Trump today with the world aghast and in a bind not knowing how to deal with it.

The recent reduction in the tax regime is seen as another master stroke by the prime minister and full page paid advertisements in newspapers and television discussions have been singing his praises relentlessly. Even though it was the same tax regime known as GST, that was initiated earlier in his tenure to much protest and little consensus, is now being reduced to score political points and people are rejoicing as if it’s some kind of windfall.

Political satire is scarce in India’s democracy. Free speech is under threat and has been so for some time. Comedians risk banishment if their jokes are not in line with what is “acceptable” and in “good taste.”

As with demonetization and other populist schemes that claim to have benefited the poor of the nation, programs are rolled out regularly with heavy names like Ayushman Bharat (a scheme that provides free medical insurance to the poor) and advertised as Modi’s benevolence to uplift the poor.

About 72% of the world today live under some kind of authoritarian strongman regime. India has been under one for eleven years and now is at a point where it has been normalized. It does not even faze most people. For the faithful it is much deserved and for the opponents it’s just a matter of life.

Majoritarian rule is how the system operates now. Even though the BJP did have a setback when the illusion of its unshakeable grip over the nation was shattered by the electorate, it has not changed course. They needed to form a coalition with smaller regional parties to hold on to power and that they have done successfully and hope to continue for the foreseeable future.

Compromised Media

The mainstream media is compromised beyond repair and devoid of any meaningful analysis or dissent. Times of India, a respected newspaper recently published a tribute piece in its editorial section by the home minister for Modi’s birthday titled “Unique Leadership, special charisma.” The sycophancy on display in the article was an indication of the coterie that surrounds him.

Institutions have been weakened, even the defense forces have been politicized. State television channels and private news outlets aligned with the government run extensive programs advertising India’s military arsenal and might on a consistent basis. Panel discussions with military experts analyze India’s military operations and its successes furthering the propaganda machine’s narrative of the nationalist government.

The recent skirmish with Pakistan called “Operation Sindoor” is relentlessly touted as India’s success on the battlefield and is discussed as Modi’s genius chess move, even though the details of its veracity are scant and rarely presented with any transparency. The nation has bought a narrative that has been crafted with care and a constant barrage of nationalistic fervor.

Cricket Minus Sportsmanship

Even India’s cricket team is not immune from brainwashing. After a recent game with Pakistan the team refused to shake hands with the losing team, in protest of the terrorist attack in Kashmir. In the past “cricket diplomacy” was a glimmer of hope between the two nations that are perennially at each other’s throats. Not anymore. The captain of the Indian team dedicated his win to the victims of the terrorist attack and the Indian army. The nation applauded. Sportsmanship was sacrificed at the altar of nationalism and politics.

Political satire is scarce in India’s democracy. Free speech is under threat and has been so for some time. Comedians risk banishment if their jokes are not in line with what is “acceptable” and in “good taste.”

Recently a comedy venue was vandalized by goons as the comedian Kunal Kamra’s stand up act was seen as “insulting” and he had to go underground to save his skin. He has become a lightning rod for dissent and irks the faithful with his comedy from youtube and other non traditional media platforms. As practically all media are now “Godi Media,” “Lapdog Media” for the government and the prime minister.

Large conglomerates owned by deep pocketed industrialists who back the government, own all legacy media and work hand in hand in brainwashing the nation. NDTV which once was a voice of dissent is now owned by a conglomerate and has successfully changed the channel to a mouthpiece of the government.

Nationalism always begins with the claim that you are always on the principled, moral, righteous side of things. Prime Minister Modi and his party have inculcated this image by using religion as their ploy. From building temples, taking part in religious ceremonies and taking dips in the Ganges, he has projected himself as a righteous leader and the defender of the Hindu faith.

This nationalistic image had borne dividends at the ballot box like never before and continues to everyday, as his followers believe he will be the leader of this nation/movement for eternity. His potential is limitless and India’s economic prowess on the international scene will deliver everyone from poverty, even though the reality could not be farther from the truth.

The level of brainwashing is relative to ones educational background. Modi is your savior and master if you are middle class or upper middle class fueled by IT money from the west. If you are rich or super rich, he is your best friend. If you are on the lower economic rung, he is a demigod. If you are a devout Hindu, he is the avatar you have been waiting for.

What use are bridges, tunnels, bullet trains, airports and towers with shiny glass and pickle ball courts, if there is no true fearless freedom in a democracy?

Around the dinner table, a conversation started about the state of the environment in urban India. I made an observation that sparrows that once used to be ubiquitous in my backyard are no longer to be seen. My house help jumped into the conversation and said, “many species of birds have returned to the city thanks to our prime minister, Modi.”

India has been Modi-fied.

(Top image by Anand Kamalakar)

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Anand Kamalakar is a Brooklyn based documentary film director, producer and editor. His film OSBORNE will premiere on PBS nationwide next year.