To Silicon Valley

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Silicon Valley was a great success. The Valley is home to the likes of Apple and Google. CEO of some of the innovative companies of the world gave him a most warm welcome and promised new investment in Digital India. India is set to connect each citizen to the internet and make the most of it to improve public services. Google confirmed plans to launch free Wi Fi in 500 railway stations across India. Microsoft is committed to offer low cost broad band to Indian villages. Cualcomm has promised to invest 150 million dollars in India startups. A tech savvy Prime Minister, Narendra Modi interacted admirably with the Indian honchos in the Valley. He told technocrats how social media served as an easy text book to him broadening his horizon. He was aware of the Constitution it could make to bridging the gap between governments and people. Twitter and Facebook were indicators of the public mood. Social media could inject warm cordiality in dry diplomatic intercourse. The conditions on internet neutrality are restrictive about India’s deal with the Silicon Valley. Modi’s attitude appeared at odds with the narrow chauvinistic attitude informing some official circles in India which attacked westernisation. The Silicon amity went bang against the concept of cultural cleansing. Modi praised California as the state where ideas saw the first light of day. Silicon Valley’s creative surge forward is based on tolerance and encouragement of diversity and difference. Modi’s ideas can achieve fruition in India if only full marks are given for defiance and dissent combined with individual development. And internet block can only stifle such growth. Modi has not so far supported cultural cleansing but he has not yet condemned it either. A tech savvy Prime Minister knows that the internet is beyond borders. Facebook annihilates distance thwarting globalisation of communication.