JUNE 8, 2016. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi rose to address the joint sitting of the US Congress, he was greeted with a standing ovation. In the chair were US Vice-President Joe Biden and the House Speaker Paul Ryan. At his eloquent best, Modi told Congress members that relations between the two countries had "overcome the hesitations of history" and concluded with a line from Walt Whitman's "To Think of Time': "The orchestra have sufficiently tuned their instruments-the baton has given the signal." A new symphony, he added, is in play.
Cut to June 22, 2023. The new symphony Modi talked of in 2016 was in full play. Nine years into his prime ministership, he looked far more assured as he addressed the US Congress a second time-an honour bestowed on only a few world leaders. Just the previous day, Biden, now the President, had rolled out the red carpet for him, even upgrading the summit to a state visit with all the attendant pomp and pageantry, besides hosting a private dinner for Modi. "In the past few years, there have been many advances in AI-Artificial Intelligence," Modi told Congress members with a smile. "There have been even more momentous developments in another AI-America and India."
This story is from the July 10, 2023 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 10, 2023 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
A Life IN MUSIC
To celebrate five decades of a storied musical career, Padma Shri Hariharan is headlining a special concert in Delhi on November 30
MURDERS MOST FOUL
SAMYUKTA BHOWMICK'S DEBUT NOVEL, A FATAL DISTRACTION, IS A WHODUNIT THAT GOES BEYOND MERELY PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE MASTERS OF THE GENRE
Jungle Book
Avtar Singh creates a compelling tableau of characters brought together and torn asunder by migration, epidemic and circumstance
BON VOYAGE
The award-winning stage adaptation of Yann Martel's Life of Pi is coming to Mumbai this December
Earning His ACTING CHOPS
HIS LATEST STINT IN THE BUCKINGHAM MURDERS, WHICH JUST RELEASED ON NETFLIX, CEMENTS THE MULTI-HYPHENATE RANVEER BRAR'S REPUTATION AS A FINE ACTOR
Strike a Pose
SOONI TARAPOREVALA'S SERIES DEBUT WAACK GIRLS ON PRIME VIDEO SHINES A LIGHT ON THE STREET DANCE STYLE OF WAACKING
FATAL ATTRACTION
In I Want to Talk, Shoojit Sircar continues his exploration of death with the portrait of a tenacious man who beats it time and again
LOVE LETTER TO THE MOUNTAINS
'Journeying Across the Himalayas' is a new multidisciplinary festival in Delhi with a focus on the Himalayan region and its communities
The Art of CURATION
Sunil Kant Munjal, founder patron of the Serendipity Arts Foundation, on how one of our biggest multi-disciplinary festivals came about and what to look forward to in this edition
THE ROCKY ROAD AHEAD
A US court's allegations of bribery in solar power contracts and US markets watchdog SEC's charges of concealing wrongdoings have jolted Gautam Adani's business empire. Even as he mounts a strong defence against the indictment, the group faces a crisis of investor confidence that may impact its growth plans