Usha Vance recalls meeting with PM Modi ‘very special', India visit ‘trip of lifetime'
US Second Lady Usha Vance described meeting with PM Modi as 'very special', while recalling her family's visit to India on April 21 as part of their four-day official visit. During a conversation at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum in Washington, she called the visit to India a "trip of lifetime for them".
Advertisement
She also mentioned travelling to various places in North India, including the Taj Mahal, and expressed her enjoyment of Indian cuisine, stating, 'It really was the trip of a lifetime for us. My children had never been to India, what with the pandemic and, JD's entry into politics and all that. And so they'd grown up just knowing so much about this country, the stories. food, the relationships with grandparents and friends, but they had never actually seen it. So it was just sort of mind-blowing from their perspective. And then for me and JD, I think it just could not have been any more special.'
Watched puppet show, visited Taj Mahal and enjoyed food: Usha Vance
'We had the opportunity to see some of the greatest sites in North India. We're looking forward to our next trip and trying to get to the parts of the country where my family is from as well. And it just was sort of one hit after another, right. The most incredible food, the peacocks that we got to see, everywhere we went, getting to see the Taj Mahal in the morning and appreciate it as the sun was just sort of coming up and the cool skies and blue skies over in the background,' she mentioned.
Advertisement
Additionally, she shared her experience of watching a puppet show in India that featured scenes from the Ramayana. 'There was a puppet show. That was a particular highlight with sort of puppeteering from all over the country, including from Andhra Pradesh, where my family is from. There were bits from the Ramayana. There were sort of comedic bits with animals, and it was a huge hit. My kids have been trying to recreate a home of construction paper, which is going about as well as you can imagine,' Usha stated.
Also Read | How the left and J.D. Vance learnt to despise each other
'Explored lawns at PM Modi's residence'
Usha's children, Ewan, Vivek, and little Mirabel, were seen exploring the lawns and curiously observed the bird feeder, fully immersing themselves in the experience at the Prime Minister's residence. PM Modi had gifted each of them a peacock feather. A touching scene captured Mirabel Vance holding the feather while enjoying a sweet moment with her father.
Advertisement
Usha's daughter 'enjoyed her time in auto rickshaw'
'Ewan, our oldest, was really taken by the sculptures in the temple that he visited. He just thought it was incredible craftsmanship and of course showed things that he was very familiar with from stories and from talking with me. And then, Vivek, our middle child, was very excited to meet elephants and peacocks and a camel and just any animal that he could kind of get his hands on. And then our daughter thinks she's sort of along for the ride. She really enjoyed her time in an auto rickshaw. That was maybe the highlight for her,' she added.
Advertisement
PM Modi's birthday gift to Usha's son in Paris
Usha reminisced about the time her children met Modi in Paris, recalling how he gave her five-year-old son a birthday gift that day. She described PM Modi as very kind and generous toward the children. She also noted that the discussions between PM Modi and JD Vance were 'productive.'
Also Read | Vance in India: 5 facts on Indian family of Usha Vance
She shared, "Meeting the Prime Minister, that was really very special. We'd actually had a chance to meet him before. And it's funny, my kids saw him. They were sort of sleep deprived in Paris and they saw an Indian man with a white beard and white hair, and they just put him in the grandfather category immediately. They are very into him. They just love him. And he really cemented his status by giving our five-year-old a birthday present that day. So, when we were able to visit his home, they just sort of ran up. They were hugging him. He was just incredibly kind and generous to them."
Advertisement
(With inputs from ANI)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
32 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Indigenously developed weapons proved their might in Operation Sindoor: PM Modi
In his first meeting with full Council of Ministers after the launch of Operation Sindoor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said indigenous weapons had proved their might during the operation and noted that the nature of warfare had changed from before. According to those present at the meeting, Mr. Modi said priority should be accorded to 'Make in India' with regard to weaponry as much as possible. He said India had shown its might during Operation Sindoor. In a lighter vein, he noted that people in border States like Punjab might have been wondering where tanks and train loads of such weaponry were, as was the case in the past during such hostilities. 'The nature of warfare has changed,' he is reported to have said. He asked Ministers in his Council to identify five main successes in their departments and communicate these to the people, in the run-up to the first anniversary of the third Modi government and of 11 years of the NDA government at the helm of affairs. Ministers present at the meeting said he tasked them to be forward-looking and avoid comparisons to what was done in the past. 'See what needs to be done,' he is said to have spoken in his address. Presentations on the road map of projects under the Roads and Highways Ministry, and Railways were discussed and a presentation by the Jal Shakti Ministry was also done during the meeting. This was the first meeting of the full Council of Ministers after Operation Sindoor. Sources said the meeting also saw condolences being expressed for the victims of the Bengaluru stampede during a public celebration of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru team lifting the Indian Premier League cricket trophy.
The Hindu
33 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Allahabad High Court denies relief to Rahul Gandhi over remarks on Army
Observing that freedom of speech is subject to reasonable restrictions, the Allahabad High Court last week denied relief to the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, in a defamation case filed against him over his alleged remarks against the Indian Army. Rejecting Mr. Gandhi's plea challenging the defamation case as well as the summoning order passed in February 2025 by an MP-MLA court in Lucknow, a Bench of Justice Subhash Vidyarthi on May 29 said the trial court was right to summon the Congress leader to face trial for the offence under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code, as it had taken into consideration all the relevant facts and circumstances of the case. 'No doubt over the fact that Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India guarantees freedom of speech and expression but this freedom is subject to reasonable restrictions and it does not include the freedom to make statements which are defamatory to any person or defamatory to the Indian Army. Therefore, the ratio laid down in Javed Ahmad Hajam (Supra) and Kaushal Kishore (Supra) would not apply to the facts of the present case,' the Court noted. The matter pertains to a case filed against Mr. Gandhi by a former Border Roads Organisation (BRO) Director, Uday Shankar Srivastava, who alleged that his statements, given after a clash between the Indian and Chinese armies on December 9, 2022, had defamed the Indian Army. The remarks were made by Mr. Gandhi during the Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra on December 16, 2022. Also read: Rahul Gandhi's surrender barb insult of armed forces, says BJP The plea quoted Mr. Gandhi as allegedly saying, 'People will ask about Bharat Jodo Yatra, here and there, Ashok Gahlot and Sachin Pilot and whatnot. But they will not ask a single question about China capturing 2000 square kilometers of Indian territory, killing 20 Indian soldiers and thrashing our soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh. But the Indian press doesn't ask a question to them about this. Isn't it true? The nation is watching all this. Don't pretend that people don't know.' The lower court in Lucknow had in February summoned Mr. Gandhi in the case, following which the Congress leader approached the High Court. In his plea, Mr. Gandhi said the complainant was not an officer of the Indian Army and hence the defamation case did not hold water. While rejecting the contention of the Congress leader, the High Court noted that under Section 199(1) the Cr.P.C., a person other than the direct victim of an offence can also be considered an 'aggrieved person' if they are impacted by the offence.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Switzerland Warned Of 'Nature's Fury' After Glacier Collapse Buries Entire Village
'Trump Said Stop, PM Modi Stopped': Rahul Slams Ceasefire Deal With Pak | Hits Out Over Caste Census Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on PM Modi over the post-Operation Sindoor ceasefire with Pakistan, calling it a 'surrender influenced by Donald Trump.' Drawing comparisons with Indira Gandhi's 1971 war leadership, Rahul questioned why Modi backed off after a bold military strike. He also hit out at the BJP-RSS combine, saying they "run away whenever they get scared." Addressing a public meeting, Rahul accused the Modi government of prioritizing the interests of billionaires like Adani while neglecting the demands for a caste census that would benefit Dalits, OBCs, and the marginalized. With the political heat rising post-Sindoor, this latest attack by the Congress leader adds fuel to the ongoing debate on national security, caste justice, and economic inequality. Watch the full video for exclusive insights and reactions from both sides of the aisle.#rahulgandhi #modi #operation sindoor #pakistan ceasefire #donaldtrump #caste census #adani #bjp rss #1971 war #congress attack #toi #toibharat 10.2K views | 1 day ago
