As a media event, the Howdy Modi show in Houston couldn’t be bigger. A massive cheering crowd. Two strongmen-showmen who love the limelight. Importantly, scale. Swooping camera angles creating towering images of already larger than life leaders and magnifying every little action. It was a recognition of the long love affair between Indians and the US. Even at the height of the Cold War, over a million Indians lived in the US, and America’s ‘soft power’ from Hollywood to Silicon Valley to burgers dominates the new India. Now state power, personality politics and community spirit were all harnessed into one big media blitz.
Donald Trump and Narendra Modi are both consummate TV-era politicians, adept at playing the prime time game. As Read More
