By Matthew Amroliwala,
Presenter – Global, BBC World News
If you’d have said a year ago that Modi-Obama would have two state visits within four months, people would have laughed. But the relationship is flourishing, making sense strategically and economically. The two leaders are masters of the media so it wasn’t surprising that images from the Republic Day parade were perfect for the message they wanted to convey. They sat shoulder to shoulder, at ease with each other, the President looking like he was genuinely enjoying himself. Hardly like Nixon in ‘69, when the then American President couldn’t even bring himself to stay in India for a whole day. Throw in the images of bear hugs, tea, pinstripes, Obama learning ‘Namaste’, and it exceeded expectations.
Bringing the BBC World News programme, Global, to India for the Obama visit was important. As we try to tell the Indian story around the world, charting the progress this relationship makes in all the key areas such as trade, nuclear, climate change and global security is our challenge. That and reflecting modern India, how people live, work, how they’re using technology, and the generation ‘dividend’ with half the population under 25. We interviewed small businesses, as well as the big beasts such as Anand Mahindra. We took the Delhi Metro, followed by a journey on India’s creaking railways. I spent an evening with a group of youngsters discussing everything from rape and attitudes towards women to Chaiwallas on an app.
I come to India a lot, all my extended family live in Mumbai. And every time I come, I see that things are different. From arrival at Mumbai’s new International airport to the Sea link. The skyline is peppered with cranes, throwing up swanky tower blocks and hotels. The Western chains are more visible too. Narendra Modi wants to accelerate this change, make the country properly punch its weight. He has big plans for building the economy and attracting foreign investment. But it’s a monumental task. There are good reasons why India languishes at the bottom of the World Bank’s list of countries where it’s easy to do business. Bureaucracy is rampant and delays the norm. How to make progress attainable for everyone remains India’s biggest challenge. The contrasts in this country have always been massive. A modern India has to close that gap, not let it continue or widen.
I’m a father of five and people tell me it’s madness to travel around India with a big family of young children. But the madness is what they love. I interviewed Amitabh Bachchan on Global last week and it took all my professionalism not to shout out his name halfway through. I love India and I’m glad my kids do too. One man I interviewed used a phrase I instantly liked. “Matthew,” he said, “India is like a mosaic”. Our job on Global is to reflect more of that mosaic. This Obama visit has been a snapshot of India, the bigger picture is what we have to report.
Feedback: matthew.amroliwala@bbc.co.uk
