Why is Narendra Modi such a good orator? Why do the memories of his speeches seem so recent even after days, months and years?
We just witnessed his closing speech in the Lok Sabha on the 7th February 2019. What struck us as odd was how the closing speech of the Lok Sabha by the Prime Minister was entertaining?
You see, this speech, in particular, was one that was different than any other public speech delivered by Modi. In a public speech, the element of THEATRE is missing with large crowds packed onto playgrounds and parks.
Politics and this strange theatre have been bedfellows since antiquity. Rhetoric is at the heart of all this.
The art of rhetoric has been widely attributed to the Greek Sophists like Protagoras. Vilified in ancient Greek works like Plato’s Gorgias, Sophists were thought to be deceptive. They used language and words to win debates and influence opponents.
This was probably far from the truth.
Greek Sophists merely strengthened the rationalistic basis for the Greek trope of Logos. The art of the Rhetoric or Public Speaking now needed a fine balance of what Aristotle called the Artistic Proofs and the Inartistic Proofs-
Artistic Proofs are what the Speaker must invent in order to influence with the use of language, metaphors and so on.
Inartistic Proofs are what the Speaker cannot invent out of thin air. They are all based on facts like scientific theories, natural studies and law.
According to Aristotle, the key to good rhetoric lies in the balancing of the Artistic and the Inartistic Proofs with the 3 Grand Appeals of Logos, Pathos and Ethos.
It is important to note that the Greeks did not lay much emphasis on the need to establish context.
Bear in mind though that there is a fourth appeal discussed in the art of Rhetoric known as Kairos. It loosely translates to timeliness. However, this does not encompass the meaning of context. It hints at the importance of leveraging the opportunity to win the argument. The Greeks thus give more importance to action in their speeches.
Narendra Modi doesn’t care about all this.
You see, Indian Rhetoric is grounded in schools of thought like Nyaya Philosophy. Today’s literal meaning of the word – Nyaya – means justice or righteousness. Unlike the Greek world-view, the Indian one looks at an argument more holistically. Nyaya comes out of establishing the context – just to get everything straight right from the beginning. An argument is to have many sides. With Kairos, the Greeks put more emphasis on ends justifying the means. Indians believe in the means justifying the end.
And there need not be an end as well. Just as long as the means are worth it.
These world-views trickle into other art-forms of expression like theatre. Greeks believed in the importance of ACTION to influence persuasion. This is how their Rhetoric and Theatre effected change. The Indians, on the other hand, believed action alone cannot give speeches their due NYAYA. Thus, Indians Rhetoric and Theatre needed a SPECTACLE.
Because of this conflict, Greek Rhetoric and Theatre earn an AUDIENCE.
Indian Rhetoric and Theatre earn SPECTATORS.
This is the reason NDTV named its popular segment on Indian Politics – The Great Indian TAMASHA!
But this gives only half a clue as to why Narendra Modi’s speeches strike a curious nerve with all of us. We made a video exploring this strange phenomenon a bit more, and found a curious link with the Natyashastra’s Navarasa Theory and Narendra Modi. Check it out below:
