The palpable success of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2nd visit to the United States is visibly evident as the Congress struggles to make jibes at him and the best they could muster so far is to imply he is a bad son and insult his impeccable dressing sense. Modi, is by far the best person to endorse the country, making it almost impossible for global hotshots to ignore our 'third world' region.
With a flair for making himself heard, Modi thrives on his natural ease with which he connects with people; the mass and the leaders, alike. In the final leg of his trip, he sought United States’ support to complete the United Nations reforms within a fixed time frame and cooperation for India's early membership of Asia Pacific Economic Community, during his meeting with US President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, however, climate change dominated their hour-long conversation. Greeting him with a hug in New York, Obama said India's leadership at the upcoming global conference on climate change will set the tone for decades to come. Both the leaders focused on areas of security, counter-terrorism, defence, economy and climate change.
After the hour long meeting, Obama said, “Much of our discussion focused on the climate conference in Paris. We agree that this is a critical issue for the world, and all of us have responsibilities. We are encouraged by the aggressive nature of Modi's commitment to clean energy.” He added, “What I said is that I really believe that India's leadership at this conference will set the tone not just for today but for decades to come.”
Modi aggressively spoke about India's push on renewable energy, including the plan to produce 175 GW of renewable energy. He told Obama it was time to move away from the “current climate of negativism.” He also clearly stated it “was equally important to develop mechanisms to ensure that the affordable also becomes accessible to those who need it the most.”
Addressing the Leaders' Summit on Peacekeeping hosted by Obama, Modi promised that India remains committed to efforts made for maintaining peace. He said he regretted that nations contributing to peacekeeping operations have no say in decision-making as he asserted the success of such a mission depends mainly on the “moral force” of the world body. Talking to a group of people that included UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and leaders from different countries, he said, “Success of peacekeeping ultimately depends not on the weapons that carry but by the moral force of the UNSC. The problems arise to a large extent because the countries which provide the troops do not have a role in decision-making process.” A need for carrying out the “long pending task reforms” of the UN Security Council to ensure its “relevance and effectiveness.” Modi met with French President Francois Hollande on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly summit, and held a session with British counterpart David Cameron. Modi was also paid a surprise visit by Bill Gates who had missed him during his Silicon Valley visit.
Modi's five day trip to the United States saw many events unfold as he met with several world leaders and interacted with leading investors and financial sector firms. He attended a work dinner with CEOs of major Fortune 500 companies, deliberating on investment opportunities. He took the West Coast by storm where he visited Facebook Headquarters for a townhall Q&A with Mark Zuckerberg and visited the Google campus and Tesla Motors. Not disappointing the Indian population in the US, Modi gave a chest-thumping speech as the crowd chanted his name in chorus.
Irish children recite Sanskrit shlokas
The Irish children welcomed Modi by reciting Sanskrit shlokas when he visited that country. "The Irish children were reciting shlokas in Sanskrit and singing welcome songs. It did not seem to me that they were just tutored. They were able to express the feelings of the words," the Prime Minister said during his short speech. "I congratulate their teachers. It's a matter of happiness that we can do it in Ireland. But had it been done in India, then questions would have been raised on secularism," he said. "Recital of Shlokas in Sanskrit by children was very touching. Simply mesmerising! Great to see these children recite in Sanskrit," Modi tweeted.
