'With tears in his eyes, he told me in Gujarati, "What have they done to this country? It has so much potential." That feeling for the country -- it was striking.'
This very month on the day of the historic speech by Swami Vivekananda at the World Parliament of Religions, Rediff US Special Contributing Correspondent Abhijit J Masih spoke to Dr Bharat Barai, who first met Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- then a mere party worker from Gujarat -- on the 100th anniversary of that speech in 1993 in his hometown of Chicago.
More than three decades have passed since that first encounter, yet the memories remain vivid and the relationship intact.
What follows are Dr Barai's recollections of those early days, the evolution of Modi as a leader, and the enduring friendship that has spanned from Chicago's Indian diaspora gatherings to the world stage in Washington, Tel Aviv, Ahmedabad and New Delhi.
The First Meeting: Chicago, 1993
The story begins with a phone call.
"He came here primarily to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda's speech in 1993, in the month of September. I got a call from Delhi that Narendra Modi -- at that time just a party worker, he had no other position -- and Murli Manohar Joshi, then a member of Parliament, would come to represent the BJP at the centenary.
"I picked them up from the airport. They stayed with us about 10 days."
What struck Dr Barai immediately was Modi's simplicity.
"He was a very simple person. He told me and my wife, 'I just want to have a regular Gujarati meal at home. Whatever you are having, I'll have with you.'"
That simplicity was matched by intensity. Mornings became forums for wide-ranging discussions over tea.
"In the mornings, we used to discuss quite a bit about various problems of India, and what struck me was that he was very knowledgeable. You don't expect a party worker to have this much depth of understanding about India's situation."
One memory has never left him from that first meeting.
"With tears in his eyes, he told me in Gujarati, 'What have they done to this country? It has so much potential.' That feeling for the country -- it was striking."
And there was humour, too.
"When he came, he had only a 22-inch suitcase with him. He told my wife, 'I have only two pairs of clothes. I know you do laundry on weekends, but can you do mine every day?' That was my first encounter."
From Party Worker to Chief Minister
Years later, when Modi rose to become the chief minister of Gujarat, Dr Barai saw firsthand how he handled challenges.
Reflecting on their conversations about the Gujarat riots, "He told me directly -- because of the attack on India's Parliament, the army was mobilised along the border. People thought there would be a war with Pakistan. He said he had to rely on advice from police chiefs and the secretariat about where to deploy forces.
"Sensitive areas were prioritised, but riots also broke out in places with no history of violence, like Naroda Patiya."
Dr Barai recalls the chief minister describing the mounting pressures of those days.
"By the second day, he called Prime Minister Vajpayee requesting the army. Vajpayee told him it would take 2-3 days as the army was at the border. Modi said, 'Every day, I was in touch with the central government, morning and evening, reporting what was happening.'
"He even requested help from Maharashtra, but the Congress government refused. He told me directly -- he did everything possible with limited resources."
A Leader Who Values Relationships
Despite his responsibilities, Modi made time for personal connections which overwhelmed his friend from Chicago.
"One day, when he was chief minister and busy campaigning for municipal elections in Ahmedabad, I just sent a message. He could have ignored it. Instead, he told me to meet him at the Shahibaug circuit house. Imagine -- in the middle of an election campaign, he took the time to sit with me. That was very touching."
When the national tide turned in 2014, Dr Barai witnessed moments of humility that revealed Modi's character.
"On May 22, 2014, his last day as chief minister, I met him in Gandhinagar. He asked me, 'Are you coming for the swearing-in?' I said, 'We don't have passes.' He immediately arranged VIP passes and seated us in the very front row."
He also recalls a gesture of grace at the swearing in ceremony of his successor Anandiben Patel on the very same day.
"Keshubhai Patel, who had split from the BJP and contested against Modi, was sitting in the second row. Modi, then prime minister-elect, stepped down from the dais, walked to him, and brought him up to the dais. Look at the greatness of the man -- no grudges, only respect."
The Nation Before the Self
As Modi prepared for his first trip to the United States as prime minister, many debated whether he should snub Washington in return for years of visa denial.
Dr Barai asked him about it directly as it would not be the right thing to do.
"He told me in Gujarati, 'Deshna hit pehla ave che.' One should never put personal interest above the interest of the nation. That showed me his clarity of thought."
Dr Barai tells me that the American officials were equally keen to welcome him.
Atul Keshap, then US deputy assistant secretary of state, remarked to Dr Barai in June 2023 during the prime minister's first State visit to the US, "We were standing together at the White House, he told me, 'What we did in 2014 made this day possible.'"
A Swift Decision in Israel
In 2017, Modi's decisiveness again impressed Dr Barai. During a symposium in Israel, young Indian Jews shared their anguish at being denied OCI cards due to mandatory military service in Israel.
"I mentioned it to the PM's office at 1 pm. By that evening, he had been briefed. The very next day, July 5, in Tel Aviv, standing with Netanyahu, he announced the change that those serving compulsory military service could get OCI cards. People were crying in the crowd. They had been waiting 10 years, and he solved it in a day."
Introducing the Man Who Struck Saddam's Reactor
Dr Barai recalls introducing Major General (retd) Amos Yadlin to the prime minister during the same visit.
"At the symposium, I found myself standing to the right of the prime minister as we began introducing the speakers one by one. When it came time to call Major General Amos Yadlin, I presented him to the prime minister, noting his distinguished career as the former deputy chief of the Israeli air force.
"I added, almost in passing, that he was also the very pilot who had personally dropped the bomb that destroyed Saddam Hussein's nuclear reactor years earlier. The prime minister acknowledged him with a smile. It was then that General Yadlin himself, in my presence, told the prime minister -- 'and the Syrian nuclear reactor as well.'"
A Bond That Endures
Today, decades after that first meeting in Chicago, the friendship endures.
"Whenever I am in India, I call him. Sometimes we meet in person, sometimes I go to somebody's house who has a secure line to him. The conversations remain warm and meaningful."
The last time they met was on 26th February 2025 in New Delhi.
On the evening of 16th September Dr Barai and his wife Panna will celebrate his friend's birthday with Parshottam Rupala, the MP from Rajkot, which would be the 17th morning in India.
Dr Barai reflects on a journey that began in Chacago with a small suitcase and simple meals at his family's dining table to attending the state dinner at the White House hosted by the President of the United States.
"From the day I first picked him up at the airport in 1993, to sitting in the front row at his swearing-in, to watching him act decisively for the diaspora -- these memories tell you about the man."
"Simplicity, vision, and a deep love for the nation. That is Narendra Modi."
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff