Wave-Particle Duality, Modi-Wave Singularity

In physics light was a mystery. Was it a wave or a particle? Some phenomena appeared to indicate light as a wave while in others the wave character failed to materialize. Then came Richard Feynman and he buried the debate with his sum-over-histories approach, pronouncing that light is a particle, for the sole purpose of predicting how it would behave. He was least worried about what light is, existentially speaking. The duality is now a singularity!

I think we have come to that Feynmanian stage as regards Modi and the current election.

A major section of the mainstream media had created a Modi-wave and it trotted up impressive statistics to show that it is a Modi wave. But, they were significant voices of protest to this characterization. At least a few outlets, perhaps unable to digest what appears inevitable, are clinging to straws and saying there is no Modi wave. They reluctantly admit yes, Modi is leading the Prime Minister popularity contest, yet his wave, if any, will fail to engulf the country; such a wave may at best manifest itself as local ripples.

Even so, there is a larger consensus that, with or without the wave, Modi will be leading the next government, even going beyond NDA if need be. That is, Modi the individual, the particle, will assert itself over the wave, even if it happened that the Modi-wave is chimerical. Modi is now a singularity!

The parallel with Modi and light is now established. But, I am not the God to pronounce “Let there be Light”!

Raghuram Ekambaram