As Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrates another birthday, a look back at a 2014 India Today archive reveals Lakshmanrao Inamdar popularly called Vakil Saheb as perhaps the most profound influence during Modi’s formative years. Inamdar, born in 1917 in Khatav near Pune, was an RSS prant pracharak in Gujarat, known for oratory and mentorship.

Modi first saw Inamdar speak in Vadnagar during the early 1960s; he was struck by Inamdar’s ability to use simple, everyday analogies to persuade. Modi’s writings particularly Jyotipunj reflect his admiration, recounting how Inamdar would coax reluctant members with metaphors like “If you can play it, it’s a flute; if not, it’s still a stick.”

Inamdar studied law, joined RSS in 1943, and after freedom struggle activism, devoted himself to full-time organizational work as a pracharak in Gujarat. Modi has repeatedly credited him with shaping not just his political path but his personality, worldview and approach to public life.

Even today, Vakil Saheb’s influence is seen in Modi’s emphasis on disciplined organisation, oratory, simplicity in expression, and commitment to ideological foundations. For Modi, the man behind the public persona remains a mentor whose teachings continue to resonate.