The Big Embrace: Modi Says 'Chemistry' Will Flow to the People, Obama says People have Determined the Chemistry

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi achieved the almost impossible, he surpassed former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in embracing the Americans and very specifically US President Barack Obama but not just the agreements reached and decisions taken but through a bear hug embrace that he kept repeating through the day. PM Modi, in fact spent time even at the short media interaction, to highlight the personal chemistry and bonding between him and “Barack” as he insisted on referring to the US President who was a little more restrained in getting on to “Narendra” terms with the Indian leader.

It was clear that PM Modi was set to emphasise the strength of the personal relations between him and the US leader from the moment he received the latter at the airport with an embrace.

At the media interaction the difference in approach was apparent when both answered a question addressed by an Indian journalist to PM Modi. A rather inconsequential, and seemingly motivated question, considering that only two questions were allowed with the American journalist asking President Obama about his policies towards Yemen and Russia, and PM Modi about the vexed issue of Climate Change. The question was about how close the two leaders were, what did they talk about when they met one on one.

The Prime Minister thought it was a very important question and answered at length in Hindi. He made it very clear in his response that in his view this chemistry and bonding between two leaders of specific nations was highly important, and made all the difference to bilateral relations. He said that when leaders meet away from the cameras, they laugh, and chit chat and “Barack and I” have this friendship, relationship where they can laugh and chat about all things. PM Modi said that this great relationship had brought not just “Barack” and him closer together, but because of their chemistry brought the people of both America and India together.

President Obama after listening to the English translation of the remarks intervened to say that in his view the friendship between him and the Prime Minister (no Narendra for him) had strengthened because of the people of the two countries. He said that PM Modi had received a rock star welcome at the Madison Square Garden when he visited the US last September and it was this warmth and affection of the people, the shared values between the two democracies, and their commitment to freedom and dignity of the individual that had resulted in the close relationship between him and PM Modi.

In brief, President Obama was absolutely clear and said so in so many words that the ‘‘friendship’ between him and PM Modi was a result of all of the above and emerged from the warmth between the people of India and US. PM Modi had suggested the opposite, that this friendship between him and the US President would result in good and warm relations between the people and the two country

PM Modi interestingly was making all the first gestures of public embrace. The hug that he repeated again for the cameras the press conference, shaking President Obama’s hand with both his hands, and the continuous emphasis on ‘chemistry’ that incidentally in past years has always been referred to only in South Block briefings about leaders, and not by the leaders themselves who let this aspect be part of official briefings.

In fact New Delhi has turned into a sanitised zone with the monkeys otherwise crowding Sardar Patel marg on which Maurya Sheraton is housed being removed, along with the capital’s numerous stray dogs. Delhi-ites worried about the security and restrictions stayed indoors with the roads too being free of the usual traffic jams. The Taj in Agra was also given a good scrub by 600 workers who removed pan stains and dirt from the beautiful monument and its grounds. President Obama will not be visiting the Taj now as he has cut short his visit to attend the King’s funeral in Saudi Arabia but at least the historic wonder that many right wing groups insist was a temple at one point, received a much needed cleaning.