There are some leaders one remembers for their speeches, some for their political achievements and some for the institutions they build. Narendra Modi, for me, belongs to a somewhat different category. What has stayed with me most strongly is his way of working—the manner in which he approaches a problem, the questions he asks and, above all, his insistence that challenges must ultimately be converted into opportunities.
My interactions with him over the years have given me an opportunity to observe this closely. Whether it was a major policy issue, an administrative bottleneck or something apparently routine, his first instinct was always to understand the problem in depth.
He would ask very direct questions: What exactly is happening on the ground? Why is it happening? What have you done about it? What is stopping you from finding a solution? Once he had understood the issue, he would move quickly from diagnosis to action.
From challenge to opportunity
One of the clearest examples of this approach was during the period of demonetisation. The situation presented the government with an enormous logistical and economic challenge. Currency shortages were being reviewed at the highest levels, sometimes late into the night. But even while dealing with the immediate crisis, Modi was already thinking beyond it.
The emphasis on digitisation and digital payments was one such example. The idea was to maximise payments through digital POS machines and make digital transactions accessible to ordinary Indians—even the vegetable vendor should be able to accept a digital payment.
What impressed me was that he did not treat this as merely a technological issue. He understood that transaction costs and commissions could themselves become barriers to adoption. He therefore personally followed up with the Reserve Bank of India. The question was simple: if commissions and costs were preventing people from adopting digital payments, could they be reduced?
This was typical of his approach. He would identify the bottleneck and then go after the it. It was not enough to announce a policy. The system had to be made capable of delivering it. There were several other dimensions to the demonetisation exercise like questions about currency circulation, cash holdings, gold purchases and the extent to which money returned to the banking system. But what I remember most clearly is the extraordinary pressure to find solutions rather than remain consumed by the difficulties.
The larger lesson was that a disruption could also become an opportunity to accelerate the transition towards a more formal and digital economy.
The importance of homework
Modi’s style also places an enormous premium on preparation. A presentation before him could look perfectly adequate on paper, but within minutes his questions could expose whether the person presenting it had really understood the subject. He expected officers and policymakers to do their homework.
The questions were not always confined to the department or subject immediately before him. He wanted people to understand the larger ecosystem—how many States were involved, who was responsible for what, what the political and administrative implications were and how different institutions could coordinate.
That is why even apparently simple meetings could become intense working sessions. His expectation was clear: if you are handling a responsibility, you must understand it comprehensively.
The first meeting
I still remember my first personal meeting with Modi. I had gone with a bouquet. I told him that I meeting a Yug Purush—a great man of the age. The remark drew laughter from him.
One day in May 2014 I was driving my way home from office of the NGO I was running at that time when Mr Arun Jaitely called me and asked me to come to Gujarat Bhawan which at that time had been turned into the camp office of Prime Minister designate Mr Narendra Modi. I turned my car and reached him at 4.30 pm. What followed was characteristic of him. He did not spend any time on formalities. He gave me work.
PM had tasked me to rationalise Cabinet formation – which ministries to merged, which ones to be abolished and which one to be created afresh. How ministries and departments could be organised more effectively, including questions relating to the Energy and Petroleum sectors. Such restructuring is never simple. It involves institutional, administrative and political considerations. I was given a desk and a computer in Gujarat Bhawan by then Resident Commissioner Mr Bharat Lal.
It was a mammoth task. I called up my former colleague DK Mittal -II, a UP-Cadre IAS officer of 1976 batch, confided in him the responsibility and in next few days went about our task diligently. The first principle, however, had to remain straightforward: will this improve governance? That is the test he always applies to every decision he takes.
When I presented a hard copy of my report to Mr Modi, I could clearly see his unhappiness. He was apparently expected a power point presentation. That was an indication of how tech-savvy he was.
The Responsibility
Then after couple of days, Mr Jaitely called me again saying the PM wanted to give me some responsibility. I thought for a while: What could it be? I will be offered a Governor’s post. That, by the way, still remains a dream job for me. But, he asked me to be his Principal Secretary. When I pointed out the constitutional hurdle posed by my former job at TRAI, Mr Jaitely smiled – don’t bother the PM about such small things. I will take care of it
Work Never Stops in PMO
Principal Secretary to the PM traditionally accompanies him in his every visit abroad. But, I thought this would be waste of too much time. I would take care of so many things back home. I thought of taking up the proposal to the PM. As soon as I put it before him, he seemed so relaxed as if he was waiting for it”, he said adding, “you have lifted lot of pressure off my chest”.
One would think with the Prime Minister frequently travelling abroad, perhaps there would finally be some time to relax for the officers backhome. But, actually when he goes abroad, he leaves so much work for his staff. Everyday he used to call from wherever he was to find out the developments back home, the work disposed off and the work pending as well.
Intense Follow Up
For Modi, travel does not mean stepping away from work. If anything, the follow-up can become more intense. The expectation is that the machinery of government should continue moving irrespective of where the Prime Minister is physically located. That work ethic is also reflected in the way he expects information to move.
He wants briefings, follow-ups and developments tracked continuously. The system has to know what has happened, what has not happened and what needs to happen next.
And whatever he saw and observed during his foreign visits, he would discuss back home and try to improve those further while implementing. That often explains his various innovative approach to an issue and the method of his approach.
India’s civilisational story
There is another aspect of Modi’s personality that is sometimes overshadowed by his political and administrative persona: his interest in India’s cultural and civilisational heritage. His interest in museums is part of this larger perspective.
A museum, in his understanding, should not simply be a collection of objects displayed behind glass. It can become a powerful instrument for telling a country’s story. Modern museums can use technology and immersive experiences to communicate cultural identity in ways that are accessible to younger generations. This is particularly important for a civilisation as old and diverse as India’s.
The idea behind Yug Yugeen Bharat captures this beautifully—India through the ages, India from age to age. The objective is not merely to display artefacts from different periods. It is to tell the story of India’s civilisational journey—from antiquity to the present—and to show how its culture, traditions, ideas and institutions have evolved.
Wanting for The System to Move
One quality of Mr Modi stands out above everything else: his impatience with inertia. He does not appear satisfied with the explanation that something cannot be done. The instinctive question is: why not?
If there is a technological barrier, find a technological solution. If there is an institutional barrier, examine the institution. If there is a financial barrier, look at the cost structure. If there is an implementation problem, go back to the drawing board. This is also why his meetings can be demanding.
He expects people to know their subjects. He expects them to have done their homework. And once a decision is taken, he expects the machinery of government to move.
For those working with him, this can mean a great deal of pressure. But it also creates a certain clarity. You know what is expected. You know that the question will eventually come back to implementation.
No Blame Game
One more quality of his I would like to underline is – he never passes on the buck to his officers. He owns up every shortcoming or mistake. He knew demonetisation process left many lacunae. A better homework would have delivered more effective results. But he never pointed fingers at anybody.
Similarly, fed up with inordinately long farmers’ protests over the three farm laws, I approached Prime Minister Modi with a proposal to repeal the bills and end the unrest. He expressed surprise, “Aap ye keh rahe hain! Aap ne hi to inhe banaya tha (You are saying this! You only formulated these laws). He agreed and in a televised address he announced the decision saying, these bill were brought ahead of their time. He again owned up what was conjured up by us.
Always Appreciative
PM Modi never misses any opportunity to appreciate somebody where it is due. Two years before he announced free ration to 80 crore people, we had taken the proposal to him. This would save the storage cost and also save crores of rupees of ration which used to rot due to getting wet after being stored under the open sky let alone being consumed by rats.
But, then he considered this expense to be an extension of food subsidy and refused to implement. But two years later, Covid-induced lockdown presented an opportunity and he announced free ration to such a large population. Before making the announcement, he smiled at me and said, “I remember, you had given this suggestion to me.”
(The Author is also Chairman, Ram Janmabhoomi Temple Trust who served as Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during 2014-2019)
