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Modi UNGA speech: From G-All to International Yoga Day

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Kaveree Bamzai
Kaveree BamzaiSep 28, 2014 | 13:53

Modi UNGA speech: From G-All to International Yoga Day

Narendra Modi

Sabarmati ke lal tu ne kar diya kamal said Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. Not exactly. Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally delivered his speech at the United Nations general Assembly and gave all of us two days of analysis and excitement. It was a business-as-usual speech, with Modi going through his familiar tropes.

#1. His love for the alphabet G: We heard so much about CWG, 2G and Damaadji. Modi capped it with another G--G-All, as he advised the world to give up its many groupings and focus on just one G.

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#2. His love for anniversaries: He urged the United Nations to celebrate its 70th birthday with a renewed commitment to peace.

#3. His love for colloqualisms: It must have been the first time the hallowed portals of the United Nations General Assembly must have been addressed as yaar.

#4. His obsession with yoga: He mentioned it in his interview with Fareed Zakaria on CNN. He mentioned it again at the United Nations urging it to celebrate International Yoga Day not only as a form of exercise but also as a way of thinking. Baba Ramdev must have been delighted.

#5. His preoccupation with terror: It's not a law and order problem, he said, emphasising what he used to say about the evil of terror 20 years ago. It has new faces, new names, and it lives in the shadows. It was a subtle warning to the world that they were reaping the fruits of what they had sown or allowed to be sown.

The rest of the speech was a collection of appropriately stern warnings to Pakistan to create the right atmosphere for talks, a mention of the work his government is doing to help the flood affected in Kashmir, and the right noises on climate change, renewable energy, and basic sanitation. There was also the familiar notion of India as a powerhouse of 1.25 billion: It's where one-sixth of humanity lives and it's a nation that believes in remaking its relations with its immediate neighbours, he said.

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It was enough to make India feel good--and the Indian delegation responded duly by standing to their feet--and certainly more animated than the last ten years' performances have been.

Perhaps the prime minister will be more at home at the Madison Square Garden? Don't worry. The star TV anchors who have made New York their home for the past few days will keep us informed. Blow by breathless blow.

Last updated: September 28, 2014 | 13:53
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