Obama writes profile for Modi in Time’s most influential list
18 April 2015 5:14 AM IST
In a sign of warm personal friendship, US President Barack Obama has written a profile for Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Time magazine as it named the Indian leader among the 100 most influential people in the world.
In the profile titled ‘India’s reformer-in-chief’, Obama has described Modi’s life story “from poverty to Prime Minister” as one that reflects the dynamism and potential of India’s rise.
“On Thursday, he’s the leader of the world’s largest democracy, and his life story from poverty to Prime Minister reflects the dynamism and potential of India’s rise,” Obama said.
“Determined to help more Indians follow in his path, he's laid out an ambitious vision to reduce extreme poverty, improve education, empower women and girls and unleash India’s true economic potential while confronting climate change.
“Like India, he transcends the ancient and the modern a devotee of yoga who connects with Indian citizens on Twitter and imagines a ‘digital India’,” the US President wrote.
Obama recalled Modi’s visit to Washington last year when both the leaders visited the memorial to Dr Martin Luther King Junior, an American civil rights activist.
“We reflected on the teachings of King and Gandhi and how the diversity of backgrounds and faiths in our countries is a strength we have to protect. Prime Minister Modi recognises that more than 1 billion Indians living and succeeding together can be an inspiring model for the world,” Obama said.
Apart from Modi, ICICI Chief Chanda Kochchar and Vikram Patel, co-founder of the NGO Sangath and the Centre for Global Mental Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, have also been named to the annual list of the most influential people in the world “who are shaping the future.”
Obama is also named in the list that includes music superstar Kanye West and his reality star wife kim Kardashian, Microsoft’s India-born CEO Satya Nadella, Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai, Apple CEO Tim Cook, actor Bradley Cooper, Harry Potter actress and women's rights advocate Emma Watson, German chancellor Angela merkel, Pope Francis, Chinese President Xi Jinping and US Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton.
Co-chief executive officer of Deutsche Bank Anshu Jain said in a profile he wrote for Kochhar that the Indian banker has “shaped retail banking” in the country ever since she assumed her pivotal role in establishing ICICI Bank during the 1990s.
“Her calm, soft-spoken and understated demeanour belies her strength of conviction and clarity of thought. When Chanda speaks, people listen carefully,” Jain said.
Jain credited Kochchar for bringing to India’s largest private bank a global vision and impressive returns, while also reaching out to the nation’s masses with branches in remote villages where banks simply didn’t exist. “I have yet to find anything Chanda can’t do. She’s a first-class leader, strategist and friend,” Jain said as he described Kochchar as an influential role model to young women in India.
Obama confers ‘Champ of Change’ award on Nadella
US President Barack Obama plans to honour Microsoft’s Indian-origin CEO Satya Nadella with the ‘Champions of Change’ award for bringing about change within his company to support working families. “Microsoft recently announced that over the next year it will make changes to ensure that a wide variety of suppliers that do business with Microsoft in the US provide at least 15 days of paid leave each year to their employees who handle Microsoft work,” the White House said as it announced the names of recipients of the Champions of Change Award. Before being named CEO in February 2014, 47-year-old Nadella held leadership roles in both enterprise and consumer businesses across the company.
In the profile titled ‘India’s reformer-in-chief’, Obama has described Modi’s life story “from poverty to Prime Minister” as one that reflects the dynamism and potential of India’s rise.
“On Thursday, he’s the leader of the world’s largest democracy, and his life story from poverty to Prime Minister reflects the dynamism and potential of India’s rise,” Obama said.
“Determined to help more Indians follow in his path, he's laid out an ambitious vision to reduce extreme poverty, improve education, empower women and girls and unleash India’s true economic potential while confronting climate change.
“Like India, he transcends the ancient and the modern a devotee of yoga who connects with Indian citizens on Twitter and imagines a ‘digital India’,” the US President wrote.
Obama recalled Modi’s visit to Washington last year when both the leaders visited the memorial to Dr Martin Luther King Junior, an American civil rights activist.
“We reflected on the teachings of King and Gandhi and how the diversity of backgrounds and faiths in our countries is a strength we have to protect. Prime Minister Modi recognises that more than 1 billion Indians living and succeeding together can be an inspiring model for the world,” Obama said.
Apart from Modi, ICICI Chief Chanda Kochchar and Vikram Patel, co-founder of the NGO Sangath and the Centre for Global Mental Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, have also been named to the annual list of the most influential people in the world “who are shaping the future.”
Obama is also named in the list that includes music superstar Kanye West and his reality star wife kim Kardashian, Microsoft’s India-born CEO Satya Nadella, Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai, Apple CEO Tim Cook, actor Bradley Cooper, Harry Potter actress and women's rights advocate Emma Watson, German chancellor Angela merkel, Pope Francis, Chinese President Xi Jinping and US Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton.
Co-chief executive officer of Deutsche Bank Anshu Jain said in a profile he wrote for Kochhar that the Indian banker has “shaped retail banking” in the country ever since she assumed her pivotal role in establishing ICICI Bank during the 1990s.
“Her calm, soft-spoken and understated demeanour belies her strength of conviction and clarity of thought. When Chanda speaks, people listen carefully,” Jain said.
Jain credited Kochchar for bringing to India’s largest private bank a global vision and impressive returns, while also reaching out to the nation’s masses with branches in remote villages where banks simply didn’t exist. “I have yet to find anything Chanda can’t do. She’s a first-class leader, strategist and friend,” Jain said as he described Kochchar as an influential role model to young women in India.
Obama confers ‘Champ of Change’ award on Nadella
US President Barack Obama plans to honour Microsoft’s Indian-origin CEO Satya Nadella with the ‘Champions of Change’ award for bringing about change within his company to support working families. “Microsoft recently announced that over the next year it will make changes to ensure that a wide variety of suppliers that do business with Microsoft in the US provide at least 15 days of paid leave each year to their employees who handle Microsoft work,” the White House said as it announced the names of recipients of the Champions of Change Award. Before being named CEO in February 2014, 47-year-old Nadella held leadership roles in both enterprise and consumer businesses across the company.
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