 "Screenshot of PM Narendra Modi's Twitter page on Thursday")
Narendra Modi is indeed India’s man of the moment. From being a tea vendor in Ahmedabad to becoming the 15th Prime Minister of India — and how! — there are many thrilling things about Modi. On his 65th birthday, we bring you six interesting things to know about the charismatic leader.
1. A global leader
In March this year, a survey conducted in nine countries by China International Publishing Group, a publishing firm backed by the Chinese government, found that the Indian prime minister was the best-ranked global leader in handling domestic and international affairs, followed by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
However, a separate global survey conducted by a Japanese firm in 30 countries in December last year found that China’s Xi enjoyed domestic support the most in handling national and global affairs; Prime Minister Modi came a close second.
2. A complete ‘public’ man
Modi is well known for his great oratory skills. But few know that this might partially have to do with a three-month course on public relations and image management that he took in the US. Today, he has successfully positioned himself as one of the most favourite and sought-after politicians in the country.
3. A fashionista?
With his improved dress sense, trimmed beard and impeccable style of late, Narendra Modi is seen as one of the best-dressed politicians in India. He is a trendsetter who has moved away from dull kurtas to bright fabrics like linen; and he prefers half-sleeves. Modi’s clothes are all reportedly sourced from a couture store, ‘Jade Blue’ in Gujarat, which is run by Bipin Chauhan, who has been Modi’s personal tailor for many years. Modi is said to be very particular about his looks; so, he makes sure that his beard and hair are trimmed regularly.
4. A tech-savvy PM
Modi is the possibly the first prominent Indian political leader who is known for his tech-savvy ways. He interacts with netizens through live video chats on Google+ Hangout and is also active on Twitter. Besides a twitter account and his activity there, Modi has a website and a Facebook page. He has more than 30 million likes on his official Facebook page and 15 million followers on Twitter. He also has a YouTube channel, a successful Google+ page, as a personal blog. With such a massive 360-degree connect, Modi makes sure that his followers are aware of what he is thinking, what he is saying and more importantly, what he is doing.
5. A prolific writer
The insights of Modi can be gauged from his work as a writer and poet. One of his moving collections of poems, Aankh Aa Dhanya Che (Oh Eye, I am grateful to you), released by late Gujarati litterateur Suresh Dalal, was rated very well as a work of literary value. His writing includes subjects as diverse as patriotism, love, nature, friendship and progress, and has been published in English, too. However, none of his poems talks about politics or family.
6. A mama’s boy?
Modi is said to adore his mother more than anything. To date, it is believed, he has never forgotten to take her blessings whenever he has undertaken any new initiative — political or otherwise. In fact, she is his only close relation. Once, when a media person asked what he would do after an interview (which ended around 9 pm), Modi said: “Go home to my mother, of course. She’s very old.”
