The whole world loves a man who wears his heart on his sleeve and shows some emotion.

There are enough men who seem to not care about anything but their football game and so, to have a man tear up and that too in front of an audience of 1.20 billion countrymen, was a moving experience to say the least. India’s new PM designate, Narendra Modi, made it clear earlier last week that he has a heart and it is in the right place.

Nothing in his previous life has ever suggested that Modi is an emotional man. He left home, his parents, his family and his young wife to follow his political leanings and walk on the path set for him by the right-wing RSS, eventually joining the BJP and rising up to become the chief minister of Gujarat. Not once in those years did he show any regret or look back at the family that he left behind. In between, there was a controversial period when he was accused of instigating the killing of hundreds of people from the minority community, in communal riots that tore through his state in 2002. He was eventually absolved of those charges but through it all and through his 12 years as chief minister of Gujarat, Modi has remained unapologetic about the tragic events in his state, pointing instead to the fact that his was one of the most developed states in the country.

Those who have watched the man during his election campaign will have noticed the impassive face, the almost stony demeanour, the carefully strategized and effectively delivered speeches that seem to come out in almost robotic fashion from the mouth of the bearded man who has lived the life of an ascetic in the last few decades.

When the filing of his nomination required him to declare his marital status, he filled the section, declaring himself to be a married man. There was not even an attempt to reach out to the woman who is his wife but lives a solitary life in a small town, far removed from the powerful place that her legally wedded husband occupies.

But all of that facade, the steely glint in his eye, the perceived arrogance in his stance, and a heart seemingly made of stone, crumbled in a moment last week, when he bowed down, touching his forehead on the steps that led to what he called the temple of democracy, India’s parliament. And when he entered the magnificent central hall of the Parliament to address members of his party — who now hugely outnumber the straggly group of opposition members in the house — nobody, not even his own party members, suspected the man would break down and struggle to control his tears. That moment in the Parliament was when a not- very- popular- till- recently politician transformed into a statesman who had the humility to acknowledge the people whose support gave him, a one-time tea vendor, the opportunity to become the prime minister of his country. Modi charmed millions of hearts when he spoke about his abiding love and respect for his country and how he intends to spend the rest of his life in her service. No more politics of hate, no more negativity, only talk of development of the country, he said.

Narendra Modi is certainly not the first male leader to have turned emotional or gone teary in public. US President Barack Obama charmed viewers all over the world, especially women, when he misted over while thanking his staff after his re-election. In the past too he had a lump in his throat during his election campaign, while recalling the long journey to becoming the President of the United State of America. The tears added to Obama’s already strong image of a modern, urban, caring husband, father and leader.

Not many will associate Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin with tears--- unless they are the kind he caused to someone else--- but the former KGB spy broke down after being elected President of this country in 2012.

In 2009, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was swept away by his emotions after the announcement that his country would host the 2016 Olympics. We suspect not many who witnessed it will forget the sight of Afghan President Hamid Karzai weeping while talking about the plight of his strife-torn country.

A public demonstration of emotions gives a human face to a person who is otherwise perceived as remote and unfeeling. A clever leader knows that people are more likely to warm up to and trust a person who is more like them and has the same emotions. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair was, in fact, accused by the media and often by the public, of shedding a few crocodile tears in order to garner their sympathy and support.

Meanwhile, it is still early days for Modi who took the office of the Prime Minister of India today but we are hoping that the man who India voted for so categorically, will allow his softer, generous side to bloom. And we think he is making that attempt – political pundits are stunned that he has invited the heads of neighbouring Saarc countries, including Pakistan with which India shares a barely-cordial relationship — to his swearing in ceremony.

Well begun, is half done.

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