Amrita Basu utilizes the Rudolphs’ analysis of Gandhi to develop a better understanding of Narendra Modi’s political leadership and charismatic leadership more generally. She observes that both Gandhi and Modi possess profound psychological insights into the ethos of their era. Both used strategic reinterpretation of religion to craft scripts that spoke to people’s emotions and daily experience. Basu shows that Gandhi and Modi also exhibit profound differences. For Gandhi, change began with the individual. Modi and the RSS devalue the individual and emphasize the community. Gandhi deeply opposed strong, centralized state institutions, while Modi has concentrated power in the central government’s executive while curtailing institutional checks on it. Basu points out, both Gandhi and Modi ‘are as much the products of their environment as the architects who design it’, a fact that highlights the importance of historical context in enabling the emergence and efficacy of political leaders.