It is too early at the end of almost six months to pass judgment on the BJP government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
But it is pertinent to take note of his inclinations, given his actions and pronouncements since assuming office. For example, inviting the leaders of neighbouring countries for his swearing-in ceremony was a masterstroke.
Similarly impressive were his interactions with world leaders during his visit to the United Nations in New York. All in all, it has been a very good beginning.
Even those who were mortified by the Gujarat riots of 2002 are beginning to give Mr Modi the benefit of the doubt - whether or not he was personally responsible for and aware of the havoc that occurred. In any case, one could take a charitable view that a person can change and even grow with the job and additional responsibilities.
At each stage, one is exposed to a new set of people and challenges. Beyond a point it can also be very lonely at the top if one is not the party-going, back-thumping type.
Mr Modi is going through a transition, from being chief minister of a largely prosperous, homogenous state to being the prime minister of a multi-lingual subcontinent which is still struggling to keep its head above water economically.
He confronts an opposition which had been in power for several decades and still has several state governments under its control. And the wider world and its business leaders are not as enamoured of India as we in India tend to believe. It is by no means a walk in the park.
But Mr Modi has some innate strengths. First of all, he is a man with confidence and self-reliance.
Secondly, no one can accuse him of cronyism of the usual Indian type - that is, family, community and caste-based cronyism. He has no family to favour. The Gujarati community, to which he belongs, has always done well with their consummate wealth-creating abilities, without having to depend on favours from government.
Thirdly, he has shown moderation in his approach to those who are not with him - his first personal visit to someone's home was to Manmohan Singh and his wife.
Fourthly, and probably most importantly, he has the courage to discard the decades-old and mistaken Nehruvian public-sector orientation which was based on an innate suspicion of the private sector. He has publicly shown his intent to encourage and extend the scope of the Indian private sector.
To me this is the most hopeful sign for the growth of our country - that we have someone in charge who will encourage and promote private sector investments as he did successfully in Gujarat.
src:sify.com