Move over superman, here comes NaMo

Brand NaMo (the name is a stylised version of Narendra Modi’s initials) has today developed into a full-grown industry with NaMo T-shirts, sunglasses, wristbands, branded mobile phones, an Android game, and dedicated tea stalls in Bihar. It is also said that noted actor Paresh Rawal (who incidentally also essayed the role of Modi’s hero Sardar Patel in a film) will play Narendra Modi in an upcoming biopic.

However, the latest product in the Modi-inspired merchandise is a 40-odd page comic book that graphically presents the childhood daredevilry of the BJP stalwart. The recently published caper is dubbed Bal Narendra-Childhood Stories of Narendra Modi, which illustrates 17 incidents “inspired by NaMo’s real-life adventures”.

Thus, one adventure depicts a group of boys playing in Vadnagar town of Mehsana, when their ball falls into the Sharmishta lake, known to be full of the crocodiles. One of these boys is the fearless Narendra, who dives and swims into the dangerous waters, retrieves the ball and brings a baby croc on his way back.

At the instance of his mother to be kind to animals, he then releases the crocodile into the lake.

One story shows four schoolboys beating up a fellow student. To teach them a lesson, the intrepid Narendra sprays ink on the back of their shirts and informs the principle of their evil deed and also the way to spot the culprits. In another episode, Bal Narendra is shown energetically serving tea to Indian soldiers travelling by train and resting at the Vadnagar railway station during the 1962 Indo-China war.

The publishers of the comic have not disclosed the names of the authors, but state that they know Modi’s life well. They also claim that the seal of the authenticity of the stories has come from “the office of the chief minister” himself.

Indeed, there is a feat that even Superman could not accomplish that Bal Narendra has. He has emerged as the frontrunner in the race for premiership of the world’s largest democracy.

news@khaleejtimes.com

• India