We...bow to him ...with the manly, unbroken pride of the ancient Norsemen who stand upright before their Germanic feudal lord. We feel that he is greater than all of us, greater than you and I. He is the instrument of the Divine Will that shapes history with fresh, creative genius." The Rise And Fall of the Third Reich---William L Shirer

Narendra Modi will either win or lose Gujarat elections. But win or lose, he will surely be there to influence what India thinks today. Many think, Modi has ideas and Modi has vision. These are attributes often absent in many leaders. At the National Development Council in New Delhi Modi was very clear that India knocking on 2008 should talk about economic criteria not religion. His presentation was that of a man who knows his economics. He was hitting out at Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's plans to earmark 15 per cent of funds under the 11th plan for minorities. He saw it as a move just to make Muslims happy. People were impressed with Modi's speech and Modi's attack. And he spoke on a lot of issues, about investment, development, education. Those present saw the visionary in Modi---the posterboy of Gujarati Asmita and beyond. This huge support that Modi enjoys is something that was not with him before. Many intellectuals had opposed him after the post-Godhra riots. Now they have realised that bygones should be bygones. And some say, why not? Big industrialists are putting in their money and building their projects in Gujarat. And if they are doing that there must be a reason. The economic health of the state apparently is fantastic. Non-resident Gujaratis love Gujarat. And business is in the DNA of Gujarat. So who really wants to latch on to Godhra when economic benefits are there for everyone to see. "Move on" is the mantra. That seems to be practical at a time when the stock markets are doing good. Because then that would make everyone happy. That everyone includes everyone from economists who believe in growth models to daily wage earners.

Many people say that Narendra Modi is a man of simple demands. Apparently he loves watches and pens, expensive ones. But it ends there. Rest is all about himself, his world, his goals, his principles, his vision. This kind of commitment is a rarity these days. And probably this is also what led to the sudden realisation, why not Modi? True, very true. Some might say that since Modi enjoys the support of many ( even if he loses) that does not mean one should forget the crimes committed apparently with his tacit support during post-Godhra anti-Muslim riots.

But some also are saying all this talk about democracy and secular rule is something that only exists in lecture halls, or in some adda. So why punish a man who is leading Gujarat and industrial houses in a friction-free business environment? Probably they are right. and increasingly it looks like if someone shouts, "show me the money", Narendra Modi might just reply, "Come to Gujarat". So Narendra Modi's vision, lose or win, is the toast of many in India. He will stay Narenbhai to many and many millions would flock to Gujarat to pay their respect to him, many would probably die to touch him once.

What happens to many who oppose him? They should try and understand that there are ways to make everyone happy. Happiness is a warm Gujarat and it's happiness for all and that's irrespective of Modi winning or losing. For many, Modi, the "mard mukhyamantri" is a winner all the way and they are willing to bow to him. Why ? Because it looks like the story of Modern India, where in the name of development, people in the margin are being pushed further away and under the spotlight stays Narendra Modi with his arrogant pride and his brand of saffron politics and his followers.