From Guest is God to Citizen is God”: PM Modi’s Call to Respect India First

On 21 September 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a speech that , while focused largely on economic reform, manufacturing and self-reliance, carried a subtle but powerful message: the shift from treating Atithi Devo Bhava (Guest is God) to Nagrik Devo Bhava (Citizen is God). He nudged the nation to reorient respect, policy, and pride toward the people of India, and toward what India produces, more than to foreign nationals and imported goods.

Key Themes in the Speech

1. Citizen-First Governance
   Modi emphasized that citizens and not foreign nationals, must be at the heart of governance. He urged state governments, MSMEs (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises) and all levels of administration to put the needs of Indian citizens first: ensuring goods are made in India; simplifying compliance; focusing on domestic production. This is not anti-global, but a call for respect and prioritization of Indian people, Indian labour, Indian markets.

2. Make in India / Atmanirbhar Bharat Reaffirmed
   The speech renewed focus on “Make in India” and self-reliance. What can be manufactured here, should be manufactured here. Reliance on imports is increasingly being questioned—not only for economic reasons but also as a matter of national dignity and respect for Indian capabilities.

3. GST Reforms & Relief to Common Person
   Modi spoke of reforming the Goods and Services Tax regime (“GST 2.0”), simplifying slabs, and reducing burdens on everyday people. The aim: to ensure that India’s tax system serves its citizens well, not burden them unnecessarily.

4. Soft Shift in Philosophy: From Guest to Citizen
   Throughout, there was a philosophical undercurrent. Historically, Indian culture has given primacy to “Atithi Devo Bhava” i.e, guests are like gods. But Modi subtly suggested it is time to shift to Nagrik Devo Bhava , that citizens, the people who form the nation, deserve the reverence, attention, and respect. Not as an exclusion of others, but an assertion that our own people and our own economy must not be secondary.

Sone Ki Chidiya: Why India Truly Was Golden

Many of us hear “India was once the Sone Ki Chidiya (Golden Bird)” and assume it was because India had abundant gold. Actually, the deeper reason is that India’s wealth came from its richly productive industries, especially textiles, silks, spices, metals, handicrafts, which were globally desired. Through trade, India earned gold and wealth by exporting high-quality goods.

Some of the major historical exports included:

• Cotton textiles, muslin, calicos: Particularly from Bengal (Dhaka), Gujarat, etc., Indian cotton cloth was famed worldwide. 

• Silks & luxury fabrics: Silk weaving and fine brocades were also prime export goods.

• Spices, pepper, etc.: India's spices were among its earliest trade items across kingdoms, continents. 

• Indigo dye, jute, opium, raw cotton & yarn: In colonial times especially, these were significant exports. 

It was these goods,valued in foreign lands, that brought in wealth, making India rich not because of raw gold but because its products were so desired that the world paid in gold and silver.

Why the Shift from Atithi to Nagrik is the Need of the Hour

• People over optics: It’s easy to respect foreign guests, host international delegations, but governance is ultimately about the welfare of citizens. Policies, benefits, manufacturing, jobs, services,all these must be citizen-centric.

• Domestic empowerment: The global economy is unpredictable. Relying heavily on imports or foreign entities leaves vulnerabilities. Whenever India strengthens its local industries, it builds resilience.

• Pride & identity: Supporting indigenous products, valuing local artisans, revive crafts, reclaiming what made India once strong in the trade world, all of these are tied to national pride. The respect for the citizen includes respecting one's own labour, own culture, own products.

Call to Action: Make in India—Buy Indian

To realize Nagrik Devo Bhava, every Indian can play a role. Here are a few ways:

• Prefer Made in India products - textiles, clothing, furniture, tools, electronics—where quality is good.

• Support local artisans and MSMEs - they preserve heritage crafts, employ people, spread prosperity.

• Be conscious consumers-understand where things are made, how supply chains operate.

• Demand good governance and fast delivery of services-because citizens deserve it.

India was once the world’s factory of luxury textiles, pepper, silks, indigo, products so prized abroad that the world paid gold for them. It was not gold deep in the earth that made us golden; it was excellence, craft, trade, ingenuity.

Today, when PM Modi speaks of Nagrik Devo Bhava, he is urging us to return to that grace: to value our people, honor what is made here, and rebuild from that foundation. If every citizen from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, from Gujarat to Nagaland stops buying blindly from foreign brands, and instead helps Indian makers, we rekindle that golden age ,this time, on our own terms.

Let’s make the choice: Respect the citizen. Respect the product. Build India.