Manish Chand | India Writes

Khem Cho: Modi, Obama have warm-up dinner, with world on the plate

September 30, 2014September 30, 2014 - by Manish Chand

Khem Cho, Mr Prime Minister! The Gujarati greeting by US President Barack Obama brought a little smile to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he stepped inside the White House for his first meeting with the world’s most powerful man. For the next 90 minutes, the two leaders sat down for a free-flowing conversation that encompassed big issues as well as small talk. It was literally a warm-up dinner, albeit with a difference -– the fasting Indian prime minister sipped warm water while his host, accompanied by his senior cabinet colleagues, had their dinner.

Sparks did not exactly fly or the two leaders went down for a private walk on the White House lawns. Clearly, the bells and whistles were missing – the kind the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh got when Mr Obama hosted the first state dinner of his presidency. However, in the end, the first Obama-Modi meeting proved to be a fairly meaty mouthful before the full-course talks on September 30, which are expected to add a fresh sparkle to the much-touted defining partnership of the 21st century. The tone and substance of the initial interaction could be best summed up in the words –- “Chalein Saath Saath, forward together we go” –- the vision statement for the US-India Strategic Partnership that was issued ahead of the private dinner hosted by Mr Obama for his Indian guest.

Modi, the rock star, casts spell in America with Great India Dream

September 29, 2014September 30, 2014 - by Manish Chand

Magic, mania and mystique. The Modi madness swamped New York’s famed Madison Square Garden on a bright Sunday afternoon when the leader of the world’s largest democracy unveiled his dream of remaking India and was lavished adulation that only rock stars can dream of.
Hundreds of Indian-Americans waving tricolours and sporting Modi t-shirts and tattoos thronged the Penn Plaza entrance to the iconic Madison Square Garden which is better known for hosting baseball legends, rock stars and singing sensations. Chants of MODI and WE LOVE MODI reverberated in the air.
Remaking India – this was the master theme of Modi who wove a melange of interlinked themes in his speech, which included national renewal, the role of the Indian-American community in enhancing the global profile of India, his pet projects like clean India mission, cleansing of Ganga and a compelling re-articulation of the ‘Make in India’ campaign he launched just a day before he started his American journey.

Unleashing yoga power at UN, the Modi way

September 28, 2014September 28, 2014 - by Manish Chand

After launching the ‘Make in India’ mantra back home, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unleashed the country’s soft power at the UN as he exhorted the world community to observe an International Yoga Day, which he eloquently described as “India’s gift to the world.”
In his maiden speech at the UN General Assembly, which marked the 61-year-old leader’s metamorphosis into a world statesman, Mr Modi interspersed his robust pitch for reforms of the UN Security Council with a philosophical spin on organic connections between climate change and yoga, which he grounded in the spiritual concepts of harmony between man and nature. “By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us deal with climate change. Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day,” he said.

Serious about talks with Pakistan, but sans terror shadow: Modi

September 27, 2014September 28, 2014 - by Manish Chand

Putting the ball in Islamabad’s court, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has underlined that that he wants to hold bilateral talks with Pakistan, only “without a shadow of terrorism,” and provided the latter creates the right atmosphere for it. In his maiden address to the 69th session of the ongoing UN General Assembly on a radiant sunny day in New York, , Mr Modi outlined his foreign policy on India’s neighbourhood, and signalled in a statesman-like manner that he wants to engage with Pakistan with all seriousness
The Indian leader’s comments came a day after Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif voiced frustration over stalled talks over Kashmir and more than a month after India cancelled foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan by registering strong objections to the Pakistani envoy’s meeting with Kashmiri separatist leaders.

India & US: Shaping the 21st century

September 27, 2014 - by Manish Chand

NEW YORK- Fast-track diplomacy and smart development-centric diplomacy are the twin mantra of the new government in Delhi. Staring from hosting the leaders of South Asian neighbours to engaging key Asian partners, China and Japan, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now headed for the US on a defining trip that is set to infuse “the defining partnership of the 21st century” with a new burst of energy and vitality. Spectacle, colour, high diplomacy, culture, commerce and creativity –- all these varied elements are going to be fused into Prime Minister Modi’s maiden voyage to America (Sept 26-30), which is poised to be a blockbuster diplomatic event.

New Horizons

There are several firsts to this prime ministerial trip: This will be not only the first visit of Narendra Modi as the prime minister of India, but it will also be his first meeting with US President Barack Obama.

Indian-Americans’ Modi bonding: Stage set for Madison Square Garden show

September 27, 2014September 27, 2014 - by Manish Chand

The Modi mania seems to have swept the 3.2 million-strong Indian-American community. Emotional bonding – this is how Dr Bharat Barai, the president of Indian-American Community Foundation (ICAF), has evoked the burgeoning appeal of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi among the third largest immigrant community in the US.
“The prime minister has created an emotional bonding with Indian-Americans,” said Dr Barai, a well-known doctor who has spearheaded the initiative to organize the spectacular community reception for the Indian leader at the iconic Madison Square Garden in the heart of Manhattan.
Conjuring up soaring expectations of Indian-Americans from the new prime minister, Dr Barai stressed that Mr Modi has struck a chord as the Indian community in the US sees him as “a self-made man” who once sold tea at railway station in Vadnagar in Gujarat and has now risen to head the world’s largest democracy.

Time running out for UN Security Council reforms: G4

September 26, 2014September 26, 2014 - by Manish Chand

A thousands visions and revisions later, the reform of the UN Security Council still remains a chimera, embroiled in endless vacillation. Against this backdrop, India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj joined hands with her counterparts from other G4 countries to push hard for the expansion of the UNSC, which is looking more like an anachronism in view of the seismic shift of power from the west to the rest in the 21st century.
The collective sense of the mounting frustration at the excruciatingly slow pace of the UNSC reforms was palpable during their discussions.
The G4 ministers’ meeting ended with the four countries expressing support for each other’s candidatures and reaffirming their support for developing countries, including from Africa, to be represented in both the permanent and non-permanent categories of an enlarged Council.
In his maiden speech at the UNGA, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to make a forceful pitch for reform of the UNSC and present a compelling case for the inclusion of India in an expanded and rejuvenated Security Council.

Obama declares war on IS militants: India, US to step up counter-terror cooperation

September 25, 2014September 25, 2014 - by Manish Chand

US President Barack Obama’s declaration of war on The Islamic State, the terrorist machine’s network of death that has unleashed mayhem in the Middle East, should be noted positively by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will be looking to step up counter-terror cooperation during his summit meeting with the American president.

Amid the roiling ferment in the Middle East, the region that is pivotal to India’s energy security and is home to over 7 million Indians, intensifying counter-terror cooperation with the US will be high on the agenda when Mr Modi meets Mr Obama for full-spectrum talks in Washington on September 30.

The volatile situation in the AfPak region against the backdrop of the conflicted transition process in Afghanistan will add a trenchant element to counter-terror discussions that the two leaders are expected to have in Washington.

Modi at Madison Square Garden: It will be a coming-out party for Indian-Americans

September 24, 2014September 25, 2014 - by Manish Chand

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US will put the spotlight on the growing profile of the about 3-million strong Indian-American community. Cutting across castes, provinces and religions, around 20,000-odd Indian-Americans will be travelling from all over America for the largest-ever civic reception in honour of the Indian leader at the iconic Madison Square Garden.

In this interview with Mr Manish Chand, Editor-in-Chief, India Writes Network, Ronen Sen, India’s former ambassador to the US, speaks glowingly about the multifarious success stories of Indian-Americans in their adopted homeland and their role as bridge-builders in bringing the two vibrant democracies together in an arc of intersecting national interests.

Cautious optimism, Modi’s US visit to rejuvenate India-US relations: Ronen Sen

September 24, 2014September 24, 2014 - by Manish Chand

It promises to be a diplomatic blockbuster. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s maiden visit to the US is bristling with new possibilities for rejuvenating and revitalising what US President Barack Obama has famously called “the defining partnership of the 21st century.” Prime Minister Modi’s visit is being closely tracked by hundreds of adrenalin-charged journalists and will be monitored the world over, with speculation swirling about possible outcomes which could impact not just bilateral ties, but the shifting international order. Amid all this feverish chatter and inspired guesswork, Ronen Sen, India’s former ambassador to the US, clears a lot of clutter and provides insights into the significance of the forthcoming prime ministerial trip to New York and Washington.