Pictures that tell a story of Modi, beyond the headlines and selfies

His foreign tours, photo opps with world leaders, and undoubtedly the selfies have made news. The government’s agendas, the ridiculous statements by his ministers, the annual budget and other bills, the government’s one-year performance have been a subject of debate too. Meanwhile, here are some pictures that add the missing jigsaws to the story.

He embraces technology like no other Indian leader has done so far. Be it connecting to the masses on the radio or social media or any other platform, he sure is tech savvy. Here in this picture, he is addressing the Gujarat Government’s Shramyogi Kalyan Mela – connecting with workers from 20 locations across Gujarat through video-conferencing.

Media and the PM, may not be the best of friends at all times. But, that doesn’t stop him from lending a helping hand – quite literally – when an Asian Age photographer tumbled while covering a press conference.

A visit to Siachen is a must for every Indian Prime Minister – to honour our armed forces guarding the country battling extreme weather conditions. But, not often do you see them giving someone else the respect and love they deserve. The Prime Minister is patting the dog which (among many others) is a sniffer dog which saves and retrieves soldiers lost in avalanches on the glacier.

Not often do you find two prime ministers turn into photographers. Picture captured in Canberra during Modi’s visit to Australia.

Here’s the Prime Minister, celebrating along with Rajesh Kumar, the son of a staff in the Prime Minister’s Office, when the latter cleared his civil services examination.

During his address at Jayapur, a village in Varanasi that he had adopted as part of MPs’ Model Village Scheme, he won many hearts when he got up from his seat to adjust the mike for the village head Durga Devi.

Many of us may not know these achievers, but the Prime Minister sure does. He met the Indian cricket team, which won the Blind Cricket World Cup in South Africa. He even clicked a picture with each of the members and dedicated posts about their achievements in the PMO social media handle.

Many of us saw the Prime Minister playing the traditional Mangolian musical instrument Yochin, But, this was not the first time. He tried his hand at the drums during his visit to Tokya. There’s a video as well. So immersing in local culture, does not remain just on paper for our Prime Minister.

Pictures with children are part of his visit anywhere in the world and on any occasion. His picture sharing a light-hearted moment with a young winner of the National Bravery award was a testimony to this. Here’s another picture, the smiles of the children say it all, as they spend time with the Prime Minister on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.

He does love to be photographed. But, this picture tells us more.

A Prime Minister who is proud of his roots, and doesn’t shy away from displaying his penmanship in his mother tongue.

On a lighter note, this picture tells us why he became the Prime Minister of India – our very own Rajini Sir!