New grammar of governance
Bharat is undergoing a profound transformation in the grammar of statecraft — one that is not cosmetic but structural. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the architecture of governance has been stripped of its feudal and colonial residues and reoriented towards its most fundamental purpose: service. This shift is not a matter of administrative rebranding; it is an ideological reset rooted in the belief that political authority is not a pedestal of power but a discipline of duty. Over the past eleven years, this philosophy has been implemented with consistent, almost monastic precision.
Prime Minister Modi’s own positioning set the tone. By calling himself Pradhan Sevak, he replaced the traditional, hierarchical vocabulary of high office with one grounded in humility and responsibility. This was not a rhetorical flourish. It became the organising principle of his governance model — seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day — marked by accessibility rather than aloofness. For more than a decade, the highest office in the land has functioned less like a throne and more like a workbench.
That single shift altered the culture of governance across the system. The renaming of the Prime Minister’s Office as Seva Tirth crystallises this transformation. Far from symbolic, it represents an ideological intervention. The PMO is no longer to be viewed as an administrative citadel insulated from the public. It is reframed as a sanctified space of service — a pilgrimage site of duty. Such terminology forces a psychological reset. It removes the imprint of colonial hierarchy embedded in earlier institutional names and instead aligns the office with a native Bharatiya ethos of seva, kartavya, and people-centric governance.
The parallel decision to replace Raj Bhavan and Raj Niwas with Lok Bhavan and Lok Niwas extends this logic across constitutional offices. These buildings, historically symbols of colonial authority, retained an air of distance between the administrative elite and the citizenry. Renaming them as the people’s houses reorients their purpose and cultural significance. Authority is reminded that it must be accountable, public-facing, and grounded in democratic legitimacy rather than ceremonial grandeur.
Similarly, calling the Central Secretariat Kartavya Bhavan further embeds this ideological framework. The Indian bureaucracy has long struggled with inertia, opacity, and a self-preserving mindset. The new name imposes a doctrinal expectation: duty is not negotiable. Every official entering the building is reminded that the state exists to serve — not to rule, delay, or evade responsibility. It is a behavioural nudge woven into the very identity of the institution. Taken together, these renamings form a coherent architecture of governance. They dismantle a power-centric state and replace it with a service-centric one. They revive a civilisational lineage in which leadership is measured by responsibility rather than entitlement, by labour rather than privilege. Bharat is being steered towards a governance paradigm grounded in accountability and moral clarity.
Over the past eleven years, the Modi government has attempted to embody this ethic through relentless operational execution. The speed of implementation has been non-negotiable. Infrastructure expansion, welfare delivery, digital governance, foreign policy, cultural revival, and administrative reform have moved simultaneously — not sequentially. The goal has been to make the state visible, efficient, responsive, and rooted in service. The emphasis on seva is not branding; it is a directive for action. India’s development trajectory reflects the results of this shift.
The decade has seen unprecedented infrastructure growth. These achievements rest on the belief that governance is a continuous sadhana, not a five-year political performance. It is an ethic of execution without noise, excuses, or delay. This administrative transformation runs parallel to a cultural and civilisational renaissance. The revival of heritage, restoration of temples, strengthening of cultural institutions, and renewed assertion of national identity are part of the same ideological continuum. A nation connected to its roots is more confident in shaping its future. Governance, identity, and cultural self-belief are no longer separate streams but converging paths. In this context, the renaming of institutions is not ornamental — it is instructional. These names guide behaviour: they urge the political leadership to serve, constitutional offices to remain accountable, and the bureaucracy to perform with discipline. They reflect the government’s attempt to redefine the ethos of state institutions in Indian terms.
The shift from Raj Bhavan to Lok Bhavan, from PMO to Seva Tirth, and from Secretariat to Kartavya Bhavan marks a decisive break from the colonial mindset. It signals that power must yield to duty, and governance must return to purpose. These are structural signals, not symbolic gestures. They communicate that the journey to Viksit Bharat will be carried not by slogans but by seriousness.
As India moves through this pivotal phase of nation-building, such steps help create the mental architecture for long-term transformation. A developed Bharat cannot be built on the language of rule. It must be built on the language of service. This shift defines the moment.
The writer is commentator on socio-political issues; views are personal
