📷 Image Credits: The Times of India
As a young RSS full-timer, Narendra Modi remained incognito for the entire duration of the Emergency in India, utilizing the time to collaborate with various leaders and organizations across the political spectrum. Like other satyagrahis, Modi adopted various disguises to evade detection, including dressing up as a swamiji in saffron attire and even as a Sikh wearing a turban. His disguises were so effective that even long-time acquaintances failed to recognize him. One notable incident involved him successfully deceiving authorities in a jail to deliver an important document.
After the Emergency was lifted in 1977, Modi’s activism and leadership during that tumultuous period started to gain recognition. He was invited to Mumbai to participate in a discussion on the youth’s resistance efforts during the Emergency. In recognition of his fighting spirit and organizational work, Modi was appointed as the ‘sambhag pracharak’ (regional organizer) of south and central Gujarat.
During the Emergency, Modi was entrusted with the important task of preparing official articles for the RSS. In 1978, he authored his first book, ‘Sangharsh Ma Gujarat’, a memoir of his experiences as a leader in the underground movement against the Emergency in Gujarat, completing the book in just 23 days. His activities during this period shed light on his early career and the resilience he displayed in the face of adversity.
