Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal presents a bouquet to Prime Minister Narendra Modi before their meeting in New Delhi yesterday. Modi will observe a strict religious fast during his maiden trip to the US later this month.

Agencies/New Delhi

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will observe a strict religious fast during his maiden trip to the US, aides said yesterday, in a test both of the 64-year-old leader’s stamina and of protocol in the Obama White House.

Throughout a gruelling schedule that features the UN General Assembly, a rally of Indian Americans at New York’s Madison Square Garden and talks with Obama in Washington, the devout Hindu will abstain from food.

In keeping with the habits of a lifetime, Modi will restrict himself to a “liquid diet” throughout the Navratri festival, when Hindus worship Durga in all her manifestations.

“He will only consume lemonade with some honey and a cup of tea every day,” a senior official in Modi’s office in New Delhi said.

“He has been fasting for the last four decades and does not want to change this pattern even while he is travelling,” added the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Navratri, derived from the ancient Sanskrit words ‘nine nights’, falls this year from September 25 to October 3. The festival spans Modi’s first trip to the US since he triumphed in a general election in May.

It culminates on the tenth day, known as Dussehra, which marks the victory of good over evil.

Millions of Hindus fast, pray and dance to please the mother goddess during Navratri. Some restrict their diet to fruit and vegetables while spurning meat, onions and garlic. Others, like Modi, a strict vegetarian, do not eat at all.

“He wakes up at 4am, meditates, prays and carries his own bottle of lemonade with him,” said another government official who has worked closely with Modi for 12 years.

“Doctors had suggested that he should consume fruits and more juices but he has refused to make any dietary additions during the Navratri celebrations,” said a senior minister in Gujarat, where Modi served as chief minister for more than a decade.

“In the US you will not see him having dinner or lunch with Obama,” said the state minister, who is also close to Modi.

A senior official said that “the prime minister’s fasting will have no bearing on his engagements in the US.”

Another Indian government source said the White House had been informed of Modi’s dietary requirements. The US embassy in New Delhi declined to comment.

In 2012 he wrote a blog post in which he said he had been observing a Navratri fast for over 35 years, calling it “an act of self-purification.”

“Fasts such as this have been a source of strength, power and inspiration for me over the last many years,” Modi wrote.

US officials have indicated that President Barack Obama would not treat Modi to a state dinner, as Modi did not hold the rank of head of state. Obama did, however, accord this honour to Modi’s predecessor, Manmohan Singh.

Indian ambassador S Jaishankar is known to be busy working out Modi’s trip to the last minute detail.

Jaishankar, whose name was being flagged during the initial days of the Modi government as likely to be brought in to the centre in a top diplomatic position, has taken complete charge of the prime minister’s US trip, a source said.

 

 

 

 

 

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