Modi In UK: Shadow Over The Show
Open|November 30, 2015

The past kept intruding into Narendra Modis spectacular London visit. Still, he and his host David Cameron won the day by focussing on the future .

Lance Price
Modi In UK: Shadow Over The Show

By the time Air India One took off from London’s Heathrow Airport, Narendra Modi had achieved what he came here to do. His departure went virtually unnoticed, with the eyes of the world now focused on Paris and the unfolding tragedy there. But while events on the international stage barely left Modi and his team time to reflect on the impact of his UK visit, they had reason to be satisfied with the political and economic rewards it brought.

Not that Narendra Modi had it all his own way. There was a wide and diverse selection of people doing their utmost to take the shine off his visit with their protests and denunciations of him. It became something of a three-day long battle to see who could make the loudest noise and garner the most publicity. But with the British government determined to do everything it could to make him feel—and appear—welcome, it was a battle Modi was always going to win.

If the view from the windows of Air India One took in Wembley Stadium as it gained altitude, the VIP passengers would have seen the famous arch lit in the colours of the French tricolour: blue, white and red. Just a few hours earlier the tribute had been in saffron, white and green. The 135 metre high London Eye, the iconic Ferris wheel on the Thames, was similarly illuminated. The RAF’s Red Arrows display team staged a fly-past in Modi’s honour with the jets’ trademark exhaust also billowing out India’s national colours.

None of this is normal. Prime ministers come and go through London all the time. They are rarely, if ever, given a reception remotely approaching the one laid on for Narendra Modi. That prompted many in the media here to ask the obvious question. Why? What’s so special about this guy?

Denne historien er fra November 30, 2015-utgaven av Open.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra November 30, 2015-utgaven av Open.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA OPENSe alt
Can Therapy Break The Taboo Of Hypersexuality?
Open

Can Therapy Break The Taboo Of Hypersexuality?

Can therapy break the taboo of hypersexuality?

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 28, 2015
Afghanistan: Waiting For A New Life
Open

Afghanistan: Waiting For A New Life

Ravaged by war, terror and bad politics, Afghanistan is waiting for a new life after the withdrawal of American troops.

time-read
8 mins  |
December 28, 2015
Grand Opening Of Dance Bars, Are The Girls Excited?
Open

Grand Opening Of Dance Bars, Are The Girls Excited?

Following a Supreme Court order, Mumbais dance bars are preparing for a grand opening. Are the girls equally excited?

time-read
10 mins  |
December 21, 2015
Discovery Of Colonial India
Open

Discovery Of Colonial India

Lord Hastings 1814 journey from Calcutta to Punjab with painter Sita Ram is a discovery of Colonial India through lives mundane and magical.

time-read
8 mins  |
December 21, 2015
Imtiaz Ali: Auteur In Love
Open

Imtiaz Ali: Auteur In Love

Imtiaz Ali's new film too is a celebration of desire and longing. The filmmaker in conversation with Divya Unny.

time-read
8 mins  |
December 14, 2015
Athleisure, A Lifestyle Trend Of This Decade
Open

Athleisure, A Lifestyle Trend Of This Decade

As the defining lifestyle trend of this decade, athleisure has changed the way we dress, appear, move and feel.

time-read
9 mins  |
January 18, 2016
Hate Wave In Communal India
Open

Hate Wave In Communal India

Provocative clerics, frenzied mobs and the widening fault lines of communal India.

time-read
10+ mins  |
January 25, 2016
Delhi Government: Getting Even With The Odd Chief Minister
Open

Delhi Government: Getting Even With The Odd Chief Minister

A righteous Kejriwal makes the governance of Delhi all about one man’s whims and paranoia.

time-read
8 mins  |
January 25, 2016
India’s Cricket Prodigies: Who Will Stay Like Tendulkar?
Open

India’s Cricket Prodigies: Who Will Stay Like Tendulkar?

India’s cricket prodigies today are luckier than their predecessors, but who will stay the distance like Tendulkar? 

time-read
7 mins  |
January 25, 2016
Dating Apps: A Sexual Revolution
Open

Dating Apps: A Sexual Revolution

As the dating app sets up office in India, its first ever outside the US, Lhendup G Bhutia signs on to see what the fuss is all about. He comes out unwanted.

time-read
9 mins  |
February 2, 2016