Mr Chauthaiwale has been a member of the RSS since he was a young child. He said that his father, uncle, and whole family had always been involved with the group. “The RSS taught me discipline and how to interpret the values of my culture and heritage,” he commented. “It gives a wider purpose to life in addition to family and career. It inspires you to serve the country by telling you that family is bigger than yourself and country is bigger than family. Being in the RSS does not mean that I am antagonistic to other religions or faiths. I respect all other faiths and religions as much as I respect my own.”
Mr Chauthaiwale is a specialist in molecular and cell biology in India. He spent four years in America at the National Institute of Health in Bathseda, Maryland, one of the world’s top institutes in Biomedical Sciences. His key work in science in India has been in drug discovery, particularly in cardiovascular and metabolic disorders.
“When I joined Torrent, drug discovery was in its infancy and relatively new to India,” said Vijay. “We went through learning and got molecules into clinical trials. Ours was one of the few companies working on drug discovery in India.” He had been working in science in Ahmadabad for 18 years.
When he was approached by the BJP leadership to take a break from research and serve Narendra Modi’s PM election campaign, he decided to make the tough decision to leave his first career.
“I was always inspired by Mr Modi when he was Chief Minister of Gujarat over three terms. I had observed his working style, his commitment to development and good governance.
I could see history was in the making as I was pretty sure in my mind that Mr Modi would win. I took four months’ sabbatical and instantly accepted.”
Mr Chauthaiwale found it fascinating to be based in the BJP Delhi office, working on back office coordination.
“The campaign changed from a BJP party campaign to the peoples’ campaign. People were as determined as the BJP to make Mr Modi win. To see the whole evolution was one of the best experiences of my life.
Though the party machinery was working hard, people were self-motivated. They created slogans, video clips, songs. They posted them on their own on social media, YouTube, Whatsapp; they didn’t want a return. Self-help groups spawned across the country. All this contributed significantly to the overall victory.”
But Vijay also had challenges to contend with.
“India is vast; there are regional aspirations and issues to address. To address all of them as well as keeping the message throughout India was a big challenge. But I guess we did a reasonably good job.”
He feels that he has been given a new purpose in life and finds his work rewarding.
He is dedicated to the idea of “being part of the overall government agenda of Mr Modi, to seeing my country prosper, and to bringing it to the pinnacle of glory.”
Since he is now responsible for reaching out to NRIs around the world, he has this message.
“Every person of Indian origin can be a local ambassador of India and the government’s agenda of Mr Modi, wherever they are. The NRIs will benefit by feeling that they are part of the transformation of India. They will reap economic benefits and the prosperity of India will also be of benefit to them locally.”
Lastly, as Mr Chauthaiwale works fairly closely with Mr Modi, The Asian Voice wanted to know what his observations were about his leader.
“Mr Modi has a laser sharp focus. At the same time, while doing anything he never loses sight of the big picture. It is therefore fun for me to work with him. He is a democratic person and consults with stakeholders all the time.”
...........................................................................................
“Mr Modi has a laser sharp focus and never loses sight of the big picture.”
