India and the World | India Writes

Modi’s Facebook Connect Moment: Tears, transformation and song of new India

September 28, 2015September 28, 2015 - by Manish Chand

It was the quintessential Facebook moment for India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, eliciting thousands of likes. In a spirited townhall-style meeting at the Faceboook headquarters at the sprawling Menlo Park near San Francisco, the leader of the world’s largest democracy interacted with Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg and captive listeners as he waxed eloquent on the power of social media to connect people in a wired world.
Mr Modi, who deftly harnessed social media for his electoral campaign in the summer of 2014, spoke about his ambitious agenda for transforming India through digital revolution. But the moment that’s going to stay in memory of nearly 500 people present at the Facebook HQ and all those following it on TV is when the Indian prime minister got emotional when talking about his mother, his eyes moist with tears.

Modi Way: Unleashing a million Digital India dreams, in Silicon Valley

September 27, 2015September 28, 2015 - by Manish Chand

Welcome to Brave New Digital India, right in the heart of Silicon Valley – home to nearly half a million Indians and the crucible of innovation, creativity and enterprise. On a balmy laid back evening in San Jose plunging into Saturday night frenzy, there was a joyous celebration of the transformative power of technology and the power of ideas as India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi unfurled his radiant vision of Digital India in a wired world where Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are our “new neighbourhoods.”

“The status that now matters is not whether you are awake or asleep, but whether you are online or offline. The most fundamental debate for our youth is the choice between Android, iOS or Windows,” said Mr Modi, triggering applause from the movers and shakers of Silicon Valley. Closeted with tech titans and pioneers, which included India-born Microsoft boss Satya Nadella and Google’s Sundar Pichai, Adobe’s Shantanu Narayen, Qualcomm’s Paul Jacobs, and Cisco’s John Chambers, the Indian leader expounded eloquently on his vision of a digitally empowered India, which is adding millions to its burgeoning online population every passing day. From a man who rose from being a tea-seller to the leader of the world’s largest democracy, Mr Modi knows how to sell dreams with conviction and has scripted a new anthem of digital redemption, with its own vocabulary and semantics.

Why PM Modi’s visit to US matters: Making Big Ideas Work

September 26, 2015September 26, 2015 - by India Writes Network

All eyes are now on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s second trip to US after assuming charge last year and his third Summit with President Barack Obama in one year’s time.

Modi connects with Egypt, Jordan: Terror, IS tops agenda

September 26, 2015September 26, 2015 - by India Writes Network

With the world grappling with rising extremism and violence, West Asia and North Africa have never been more important as a region for India. In a one-on-one meeting with the leaders of Egypt and Jordan, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi focused on enhancing security and economic cooperation with the two key players in the Arab world.

PM Modi bats for UN Security Council reforms

September 26, 2015September 26, 2015 - by India Writes Network

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitched aggressively for reforming the UN Security Council to maintain its relevance and credibility as an international body.

PM Modi pitches strongly for fast-tracking UNSC reforms

September 26, 2015September 26, 2015 - by India Writes Network

NEW YORK: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a robust pitch for fast-tracking reform and expansion of the UN Security Council during his speech at the Sustainable Development Summit in …

Modi pitches ‘Make in India’ in business meets in New York

September 25, 2015September 25, 2015 - by India Writes Network

In its bid to attract capital, the Make in India campaign, which is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet project, was pitched aggressively to the CEOs of US businesses who had lined up to meet the Indian leader in New York.

Modi set for high-wire business diplomacy in New York

September 24, 2015September 24, 2015 - by Manish Chand

It’s business with a capital B for India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New York. Expect PM Modi to drum up the India growth story and ease of doing business as he courts the corporate elite of the US on his day 1 in the US’ financial capital.

Dublin-Delhi bonding gets strategic: Focus on IT, innovation and UNSC reforms

September 24, 2015September 24, 2015 - by India Writes Network

The Delhi-Dublin bonding has acquired a fresh shine, with the two countries minting a new template of partnership built around economic rejuvenation, technology and innovation.

No rivalry, Myanmar needs both India, China: Rajiv Bhatia

September 24, 2015September 24, 2015 - by India Writes Network

Myanmar’s political transition to functional democracy and its emergence as an arena for an unfolding Great Game in the region has sparked a spate of commentaries and discourse on the future trajectory of Southeast Asia’s largest nation. Against this backdrop, Mr Rajiv Bhatia’s book “India-Myanmar relations: Changing Contours” comes as a breath of fresh air as it unravels the evolution and complexities of Myanmar’s ties with the world’s largest democracy and one of the fastest growing economies.