ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at Narendra Modi’s childhood and early career trajectory. It explores narratives compiled by Modi’s biographers to gauge the early influences on one of the most influential prime ministers of India since Jawaharlal Nehru. The chapter discusses Modi’s initiation into the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a child volunteer; his career progression within the RSS; the key turning points in his life; and some of the people who moulded his views on national and global affairs. The chapter then reviews a few key events in Modi’s life before he was nominated for the position of prime minister. While primarily focused on Modi the person, the chapter also explores the counternarratives and critical scrutiny of his work and term in office as the chief minister of Gujarat. Some of these counternarratives are vital in understanding how, despite facing frequent criticism from the electorate, Modi has always enjoyed mass popular appeal in his home state (and now at a national level).
