New biography on PM Modi released

Drawing from rare archival photographs of his childhood and lesser-known anecdotes, a new biography on Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been released.

The book, "Narendra Modi -- Harbinger of Prosperity & Apostle of World Peace", was released by justice (retd) K G Balakrishnan, former chief justice of India, to mark the completion of six years of Modi as the prime minister.

Amid the ongoing lockdown, the book release event was hosted on the internet on Friday, with dignitaries present in both India and the US, according to a statement issued by its co-author Adish C Aggarwala.

The book is co-authored by Aggarwala, President of the International Council of Jurists and Chairman of All India Bar Association, and Elisabeth Horan, an American author and poet.

"With rare photographs of Modi's childhood and early life, the biography traces his stunning personal and professional trajectory from being a boy who served tea to becoming the country's Prime Minister for the second time. It includes little-known and lesser-known facts and anecdotes," the statement said.

The book is available in two formats, hardcover and e-book, and in 20 languages: 10 foreign languages -- English, Arabic, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Russian, and Spanish -- and 10 Indian languages -- Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu, it said.