In a week’s time, Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi will be in Washington for a “historic” state visit, feted equally by President Biden and his administration as well as the “uber successful” Indian Diaspora in the United States.
Without taking anything away from the significance of the US-india “special” relationship, it nonetheless raises the question of why “we” have become America’s favorite child suddenly, though the “seeds” of such a Bromance were sown since the time of PM PV Narasimha Rao.
As Bob Dylan crooned, the answer, my friend is blowin’ in the wind. And the “hawa” here is the implicit and the very obvious aspect of a mutual “benefit” partnership, replete with eye watering “deals” in everything from Defense contracts to Chip manufacturing, not to leave out the “importance” of India as a “market” with the world’s largest middle class, though it is equally true that Bharat is more than India, in a metaphorical sense.
Money aside, the other “big” reason for the newfound “affection” is the realpolitik aspect. This term denotes conduct of worldly affairs driven by “hard” interests, with even the “soft” power of culture subsumed under the blanket of geopolitical realities. No prizes for guessing why Biden is “cozying” to Modi, with the Omnipotent Chinese “dragon” leaving him sweaty at night.
So, here we are! Money and Muscle (much like the way Indian Politics is “managed”) being the “fulcrums” on which the Indo-American “brotherhood” pivots around. With an enthusiastic Diaspora going all out to make Modi “feel at home” (not difficult as anyone who’s visited the US would attest), the upcoming visit would make headlines in a manner that would leave the viewers/readers “breathless” with Euphoria and the moniker “Vishwaguru” mentioned ad infinitum.
