An affable PM and his affectionate subjects‏

Prime Minister Narendra Modi  is on a high pedestal of people's love.  From Maharani Bagh to Madison Square Gardens, people are lining up the street to see this face of India's future.  In spite of riding the high tide of approval ratings, Mr.Modi remains the man he is - humble and affable, easily hand-shakable. In New York City, In a rare gesture, Mr Modi came out of his huge convoy to greet a large number of Indians who had gathered outside his hotel,  shook hands with  them and walked almost one entire block distance before going back to the hotel.

Let me recall that on 17 September, I attended the MOU signing ceremony at Hotel Hyatt, Ahemdabad, which was witnessed by only selected gathering of Gujarat. Fortunately, I was one of them.  MOUs were signed in the presence of PM Narendra Modi and Chinese Presedent Ji Zingping. Mr Modi arrived 15 minutes before the arrival of Chinese President. He interacted with the people and went upto the last row. People were wishing him Happy Birthday. I was sitting behind the Chinese Dignitaries.  

 On return from the last row, lots of Chinese and Indian guests almost gheraod him and started taking pictures from all sides from their cell phones. The most surprising thing was that Mr Modi called few Chinese Delegates by name and spoke to them in Gujarati and these Chinese officials also responded in Gujarati. There was much warmth and excitement in the Chinese Delegation.

One lady Chinese official who was standing near me asked me "I want to Shake hands with Mr Modi". I asked her to request him directly and as a result, Mr Modi obliged her with shaking hands with her. The woman after shaking hands was totally zapped and could not believe that she shook hands with the Indian Prime Minister and for a few moments, she remained ecstatic. After that she started speaking some thing in Chinese with her fellow delegates in great excitement . After a few minutes, she asked me if I could take her picture with Mr Modi from her Cell Phone. I said why not and asked her to stand near Mr Modi and took the picture from her Cell Phone. 

 What I have written above is just one episode of the ease of approach with the New Prime Minister and how much he loves to make people around him comfortable. We witnessed this euphoria in Japan and are seeing it again in New York and Washington  

Here is a Prime Minister who loves his people.  And at last, people have found a Prime Minister whom they love.  In shaking hands with him, people find the sati.sfaction of shaking hands with their future. The handshake means being in safe hands.  

Nothing stops people from falling in love with an affable Prime Minister - at home and abroad.

 VK Saxena

President ,

NCCL

Ahmedabad