Modinama: One man, hundred days, 180 books

The journey of a tea-seller from Vadnagar, a small village in Gujarat, to the most prized address in New Delhi – 7 Race Course Road – is the stuff of which contemporary myths and folklore is woven. Not surprisingly, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s life story has launched a thousand tales about the man who evokes diverse emotions among Indians and the world at large. The publishing industry in India is on a roll, with over 180 books published on Modi within the first 100 days of his taking office.

Written mostly in Hindi and Gujarati, the books provide a melange of perspectives and insights into Modi the leader as well as Modi the person.

The authors who penned these stories include former journalists, lawyers, RSS workers and even his body guard. Presented in multifarious ways, these works range from political biographies to comics. Bookstores across the country display these books; some have even been translated in Mandarin and French.

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Xi Jinping’s visit: India hopes for ‘directional change’ in ties with China

Ahead of the much-publicised visit by China’s President Xi Jinping to India, the two emerging Asian powers have struck an optimistic note that the forthcoming trip by the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong will positively transform relations between the two Asian giants.

The Chinese president is scheduled to begin his three-day visit to India September 17, which has coincided with the birthday of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The choice of Ahamedabad, the capital of Modi’s home state Gujarat, as the first leg of his India visit underlines the keen desire of the Chinese leader to forge close equations with the business-friendly Indian leader.

Sino-Indian relations will see a “directional change” with Xi Jinping’s visit to the country next week, said India’s Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi on September 10.

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Floods in Kashmir ignite India-Pakistan goodwill diplomacy

As floods and landslides continue to wreak havoc in Jammu and Kashmir, India and Pakistan have put aside their recent diplomatic acrimony and extended a helping hand to each other in this time of unfolding human tragedy.

Late monsoon rains have trigged massive floods on either sides of the Line of Control (LoC) that divide the two halves of Kashmir, inundating hundreds of villages. According to reports, over 270 people have died in India and Pakistan.

The death toll in India is reported to have crossed 160 with around 5000 homes destroyed. Srinagar, the capital of India’s northern state of Jammu and Kashmir, too, have been inundated by flood water in the worst floods in over 60 years.

In what is being termed as “flood aid diplomacy” by Pakistan’s media, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote a personal letter to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to express condolences and offered humanitarian assistance to Islamabad for relief and rescue operations.

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