The people love Narendra Modi, and he loves them back

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a pedestal because of the people's love for him. From Maharani Bagh to Madison Square Gardens, people are lining up the streets to see this face of India's future. In spite of riding the high tide of popularity ratings, Modi remains the man he is — humble and affable, easily hand-shakable. In New York City, in a rare gesture, 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 an entire block before going back to the hotel.

Let me recall that on September 17, I attended the MoU-signing ceremony at Hotel Hyatt, Ahmedabad, which was witnessed by a select gathering. MoUs were signed in the presence of PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Modi arrived 15 minutes before the Chinese President. He interacted with the people and went up to the last row. People were wishing him Happy Birthday. I was sitting behind the Chinese dignitaries.

When he returned from the last row, lots of Chinese and Indian guests almost gheraoed him and started taking pictures with their cell phones. The most surprising thing was that Modi called a few Chinese delegates by their names and spoke to them in Gujarati and these officials also responded in Gujarati. There was much warmth and excitement amid the Chinese delegation.

One lady Chinese official who was standing next to me told me that she wanted to shake hands with Modi. I asked her to request him directly and Modi obliged her by shaking hands with her. The woman was stunned and could not believe that she had shaken hands with the Indian Prime Minister. For a few moments she remained ecstatic. After that she started speaking in Chinese with her fellow delegates in great excitement. After a few minutes, she asked me if I could use her mobile phone to take a photograph of her with Modi. I asked her to stand near Modi and clicked her photo.

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

Here is a Prime Minister who loves his people. And at last, the people have found a Prime Minister whom they love. While shaking hands with him, people draw satisfaction from the fact that they are 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.

The author is President of NCCL, Ahmedabad