Where I was the night Modi won!

Written in 2014

Narendra Modi has won the seat of India’s Prime Minister with a landslide victory and his BJP Party has taken a solid majority in the parliament.  The occasion was celebrated all over India with huge festivities that rivaled some of Hinduism’s highest holidays.  India’s victory party was joined by Hindus all over the world; from South America to Europe to Africa and Australia, Hindus stayed up all night watching the election unfold and celebrating their joy with fervor and intensity.  I personally attended an election party in NYC and it was one of the best nights of my life.

My evening started in Jersey City, I took the train to Newark and met a new friend of mine from India, we had connected over social media only a few short months ago, but our mutual passion for Hinduism has made us like brothers from the start. We took the Path train to Jersey City where we met with some of our other friends at their apartment for dinner.  While they whipped up some divine Indian dish we watched the early morning TV programs coming out of India.  I was surprised to find that many of the major stations were presenting in English, so it became much easier to understand what was going on.  While we sat and ate our food we listened to some very lively broadcasters present the ongoing situation.  I was both shocked and pleased by the candor of Indian television, unlike American news the entire program seemed rather unscripted, lacking almost any staged feeling at all.  I was particularly shocked by the voraciousness and tenacity of the news anchors as they interviewed appearing members from the ruling INC, such bold condemnation of politicians to their face and verbal brawls as I witnessed are unheard of in the American mainstream media. Honestly I found India’s news media to be much more informative, real and entertaining than anything we currently have in the West.

After dinner we took the Path train to Time Square NYC where the election was being covered live by a panel.  It was around 10pm or so when election results began to come in which the moderately sized crowd watched on a large screen.  It became very obvious right from the start that Modi and the BJP were going to have a significant victory, but just how significant we were yet to learn.  As the video cameras turned to the crowd everyone grasped together and began to chant NAMO, NAMO, NAMO… it was fun and lighthearted patriotism void of that feeling of chauvinism so common in other Nationalistic movements. TV Asia took an interview from our Mumbai friend who was wearing a “Namo for PM” t-shirt, the same shirt he was wearing when I met him only a few weeks ago at another BJP event in New Jersey.

While the election coverage in Time Square was well attended, it was hard to stay interested in the event because there was no sound of the election coverage, just the visuals up on the big screen.  The friends who had brought me began to talk with some of the other people gathered in the crowd, I had been told that “Indians love to socialize” and the truth of this statement became very apparent as all of these strangers seemed to quickly become friends.  In a flash we were all invited to continue watching the election coverage at the facilities of The Art of Living Foundation, a yoga and meditation center.  As we walked to the center which was only a few blocks away I discussed with my friends the observation that I and other converts have made; Hindus in general tend to be very open and trusting people, lacking the social masks and disguises so ingrained into the unspoken protocols of other cultures. You can pretty much tell who a person is right away, yet you know there is so much more you can learn about them.

We arrived at a very beautiful center with large wooden floor rooms.  Our hosts brought out “Back Jacks” for us to use, they are basically chairs without any legs, it was really great because they allowed us to sit on the floor Indian style but at the same time we had the support of a chair back and could recline, it was the perfect fusion of East and West.  Someone connected the large screen TV to their computer and we turned back to the election coverage. In the short period of time it had taken us to get from Time Square to the center, Modi’s numbers had soared far above any of the other candidates and his BJP party had already gained more than 100 seats in the parliament.  As the night went on the group was constantly cheering as nearly every minute Modi and the BJP had gained another point or seat in the parliament.  But then the golden moment came, Modi’s BJP party had alliances and they were sure that with their coalition they would be able to take the majority of the parliament with 273+ seats, little did we know that the BJP would achieve the 273+ mark on its own, achieving a one party majority with an even larger coalition of aligned parties.  When the BJP number hit 273, the group went crazy!  I was able to catch their enthusiasm on my iPhone.

At the end of the evening we were served samosas and chai tea and finally stood for a group picture.  Even though I was the only person there who was not of South Asian ancestry, no one made me feel unwelcome or out of place, they allowed me to celebrate and be just as happy as everyone else.  That is because Modi’s achievement is not just an achievement for India, but for Hindus everywhere.  Unlike the nationalism of other nations, Hinduism is not based in race or language, it is based in a spirituality and ideals which transcend all borders and differences between people, Hindus are more than happy to share their light with the entire world.

We finally closed the night at another friend’s home where with their large family we watched the exuberant displays of joy that had erupted all over India, as well as the shock and utter disbelief of the rival Congress officials. All at once it seemed that the last shackles of imperialism and colonialism had been broken, the British contrived Congress party with all its divide and rule politics had been wiped out, the corrupt Gandhi Dynasty had been broken and the people had given the Hindu leadership a clear mandate to rule.  Almost no one slept that night and festivities continued all throughout the weekend.  Something has changed, everyone feels it, there is something about this victory that is going to shift the entire dynamic of the world.  Hindus are uniting, our enemies are on the run, we need to take this opportunity to gather our strength and prepare for the battle that is ahead, but whatever may come we all know that Dhrama will prevail and Modi’s victory has given us our much needed hope.  But most important of all, with India now under strong and good leadership we are certain we will begin to see Justice For Hindus.