New Delhi, . Prime Minister Narendra Modi has left for a three-day US tour. He will attend the Quad Leaders Summit and the United Nations’ ‘Summit of the Future’ in this visit. His emphasis will be on strengthening India’s long-term relations with the US and other Indo-Pacific allies.
On this occasion, it would be interesting to mention his less talked about US visit in the 1990s, when he was just an ordinary BJP worker.
Narendra Modi went to the US in 1997 to attend a program organized by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) as a guest.
After attending the program, Narendra Modi returned to his host’s house and found that his bag, which contained his passport, money and clothes, was missing.
Hirubhai Patel, an NRI who accompanied Modi during the trip, recalls the incident, “Despite the tense situation, Narendra Modi kept calm and asked everyone not to worry, which shows his ability to stay calm even under pressure.”
Narendra Modi spent the next five days at his host’s house waiting for a new passport.
Before leaving, he asked for a loan of a few dollars to meet his immediate expenses and promised to repay it on his return to India. True to his word, he repaid the amount to his host’s relatives in India within a few days.
Narendra Modi’s simple lifestyle is well known. Another example from his visit to the US in 1997 gives an insight into this.
Gokul Kunnath, an NRI living in Atlanta, remembers receiving Narendra Modi from the airport for an event.
Kunnath thought that Narendra Modi must have a lot of luggage to stay for a long time. However, to his surprise, he arrived with only a bag the size of a small briefcase.
When Kunnath asked Modi if he had more luggage on the way, he replied, “No luggage. That’s all I have for the trip.”
This brief interaction left a lasting impression on Kunnath. It made him aware of Narendra Modi’s humble and disciplined lifestyle.
Narendra Modi’s early US visits played a key role in shaping his vision for India’s development, especially the concept of GIFT City in Gujarat.
According to CK Patel, an American businessman from Gujarat, a visit to downtown Los Angeles in 1997 left a deep impression on Narendra Modi.
“One night, I took him to downtown Los Angeles. During that time, the concept of GIFT City started taking shape. Narendrabhai looked at the skyscrapers and said – this is where the economy thrives, banks, corporate offices and big institutions take the city forward,” the US-based businessman said.
Narendra Modi’s curiosity extended beyond business centres to infrastructure. While driving, when the car veered off the road, he heard a strange sound.
“He (Modi) asked me what the sound was, I told him that roads in the US are designed to alert drivers. He wanted to know how these roads were built,” Patel said.
This desire to imbibe global best practices in his country later gave birth to GIFT City in Gujarat.
Narendra Modi’s ability to connect with diverse audiences was also evident during his visits to the US in the 1990s.
At a ‘Friends of BJP’ forum in New York, he delivered a speech in English and impressed the audience with his command over the language.
Jyotendra Mehta, an observer from Gujarat who was present at the event, recalled the speech and said, “Though he is a fluent speaker in Gujarati and Hindi, nobody expected that his English was so good. His command over all three languages was extraordinary.”
“English was not his first language but Modi articulated his ideas with impressive clarity. His linguistic skills reflect his versatility as a communicator,” Mehta said.
These incidents from Narendra Modi’s early US visits paint a picture of a leader who remains calm under pressure, leads an austere lifestyle and constantly seeks to learn from his experiences abroad. His ability to integrate these learnings with India’s development was evident even in the 1990s and continues to shape his leadership as prime minister today.
