SHILLONG: There was despair, then hope and then ecstasy!
Despair as entry to Polo Ground’s Gate No. 1 was abruptly stopped at 12.30pm, hope after they saw Prime Minister Modi’s cavalcade gently making its way along the uphill Polo-Golf Link stretch to the venue at 1.15pm, and finally ecstasy triggering a “mad rush” into the ground, a la Wimbledon, as the gates reopened at 1.20pm.
While the early birds, most of them from across the state and some from outside, queued up from as early as 7.30am and were safely in for the 1pm BJP rally to be addressed by PM Modi, the people who reached the venue by 12.30pm had to face unexpected commotion.
“We have been instructed by the SP to do so,” said a BSF official, a tad embarrassed, when asked why the gates were abruptly shut.
The security men apparently did not want to take chances and were extra cautious in not allowing movement of people into the premises.
But the anxious 50-minute wait for entry got on the nerves of many, including Pynthorbah resident Raj Kumari Sharma.
“I came alone all the way from Rynjah to see Modiji in person for the first time. But they would not allow me in,” the 74-year-old widow of an ex-serviceman, rued.
However, there was a twist in the story. As the sirens were heard in the background at 1.05pm, Raj Kumari was smart enough to proceed to a portion through which the PM was about to pass by and lucky to catch a glimpse of the man she eagerly waited to see.
“I waved at him and he waved at us,” she told this correspondent, her brief moroseness making way for happiness.
Raj Kumari was not alone. There were several hundreds, young and old, waiting on that stretch to catch a glimpse of the “celebrity neta”, from Moon Islam and Shah Jamal Sheikh who travelled overnight from Phulbari in West Garo Hills to Pramod Rabha and his group of 30-odd BJP supporters who drove in the wee hours from Raksamgre in the same district.
Not surprising though. The aura Prime Minister Narendra Modi is gifted with goes beyond party ranks and politics, for which several thousands turned up here this morning and afternoon. And he, for sure, didn’t disappoint them.
The interactive Modi
The Prime Minister chose to connect with the crowd right from his black SUV (bearing registration number DL 2CO 7695), seated in front and waving graciously as he made his way to the venue this afternoon.
The waving bit did not stop till he sat on the dais. That was just the beginning.
Kumno Phi Long (How are you?), came the greeting in Khasi, as he began his speech and then Merry X-mas and Happy New Year, the claps and cheers following. As he spoke of what was not being done by the incumbent government in almost all sectors, Modi got the crowd going by asking them, “Should Meghalaya be properly known to people outside?… Should it be a top tourist destination…?
Using a mix of English and Hindi, there were variations in his voice, thereby breaking the monotony and more importantly keeping the crowd involved. The cheers came at regular intervals, as Modi went hammer and tongs at the state government’s failures and referred to the transformation brough about by his party-led governments in Manipur and Assam in terms of ushering in peace and inculcating work culture.
“The wave of change is seen after the Assam polls and the same is being noticed in Meghalaya. That you are present here in such large numbers is the jeeta jaagta saboot (living example),” Modi told the crowd, as the cheers came again.
The gracious Modi
On his second visit as PM and third visit to Meghalaya, Modi was gracious enough to thank the people of the state for their love that inspired him to come back. He had visited Mawphlang and Shillong last year.
“During my visit to Mawphlang, I was served tea and the taste still lingers. I also had the privilege to play the drum along with other drummers and one of them patted my back and said that I played better than him,” he said on a lighter vein, as the applauses followed.
‘Groupfies ’and ‘selfies’
While the show was on, the selfies and groupfies were taken at will on the sidelines as people captured their presence at the rally on their smart phones.
“We wanted a family picture with Modiji in the background,” said a woman from the city.
Sea of saffron and lotuses
The lotuses were blooming, not where they usually do, but on flags, on saffron scarves and topis (caps) that were arranged for the people and party supporters. Some had also carried life-size Modi paper cut-outs while some had worn Modi masks, at the venue, and in two-wheelers on the road. A section cheered the leader as he left the venue by 2.40pm.
Worth the effort
“We spent half the night coming from Raksamgre and spent more than half the day here. It was worth it. His speech was as magnanimous as his personality,” Rabha, a supporter of BJP candidate from Raksamgre, EK Sangma, said after the programme and minutes before a late lunch and the six-hour return journey thereafter.
Stranded outside
A few thousands however were unfortunate not to make it inside once the programme began at 1.35pm.
State BJP president Shibun Lyngdoh later clarified that “Both VIP and the public had to enter from the same gate which resulted in the confusion with the crowd not being able to enter before the VIPs. So many people, who wished to hear Modi, were stranded and not able to enter …But we will take care of the problem and ensure that this does not happen next time.”
The ‘rock star’ Modi
Like a true rock star, the man saved the best for last. After a mesmerizing 44-minute speech (till 2.29 pm), Modi got the crowd “sing his tune”, this time with three chants of “Bharat Mata ki…and the crowd would shout “jai”. And then “Vande Mataram”…in the same vein… with the PM in his interactive best, much like a stage artiste would do to get the listeners grooving. He had started his speech in Khasi and ended his speech with a few Garo words, including “Mithela” (Thank you in Garo).
Setting the poll campaign tone or blowing the election bugle (with the “Time for Change, Time for BJP slogan) apart, the man, a celebrity in his own right, truly rocked it!