Time 100: Obama calls Modi’s life symbolic of India’s rise
This seems to be Barack-to-Narendra straight from the heart piece. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has launched a host of path-breaking reforms and has launched a massive global outreach in his mission of remaking India, figures in Time’s coveted 100 most influential people list, and his laudatory profile has been authored by none other than US President Barack Obama.
In his article on Mr Modi, Mr Obama refers to Mr Modi by his first name and lavishes rich praise on the Indian leader’s rise from a tea seller to the prime minister of the world’s largest democracy and holds up Narendra Modi’s life story as inspirational and symbolic of the dynamism and potential of India’s rise.
“As a boy, Narendra Modi helped his father sell tea to support their family. Today, he’s the leader of the world’s largest democracy, and his life story – from poverty to Prime Minister—reflects the dynamism and potential of India’s rise,” writes Mr Obama.
“Determined to help more Indians follow in his path, he’s laid out an ambitious vision to reduce extreme poverty, improve education, empower women and girls and unleash India’s true economic potential while confronting climate change. Like India, he transcends the ancient and the modern – a devotee of yoga who connects with Indian citizens on Twitter and imagines a ‘digital India’.”