Modi Demystified: The Making of a Prime Minister

3,00,000 km.

5,200 events.

10 million volunteers.

814 million voters.

282 seats.

The 2014 elections will be remembered

for a campaign that captured the public

imagination as never before. At its heart

was Narendra Modi, 63, the feisty chief

minister of Gujarat for thirteen years,

bidding to be prime minister. By the end

of the campaign, there was scarcely

anyone who had not--on television, radio,

social media or at one of his rallies--heard

his message. He too seemed to have grown

from a regional satrap to a leader with a

national stature. Long before the results

were out, the outcome seemed

a foregone conclusion.

Behind the ascent to prime minister,

though, is a story of tough politics

and hard strategy. In spite of his

achievements, minorities are wary of

his Hindu nationalist background, and

bureaucrats and party colleagues are

jittery about his reputation as an autocrat.

Most of all, he has never fully been able to

exorcize the ghosts of the riots that took

place on his watch in Gujarat in 2002,

leading to doubts among his critics about

how India's social fabric will fare during

his term.

As he gets down to write a fresh

chapter in the country's history, Modi

Demystified: The Making of a Prime

Minister takes a close-up look at his

rollercoaster ride to power. In the process,

senior journalist Ramesh Menon reveals a

man of many dimensions who will lead this

diverse nation.