President Obama’s second visit to India signifies America’s transformational relationship with one of the world’s great civilizations. During the president’s first trip to India in November 2010, the president and first lady Michelle Obama learned about the country’s history, culture and people. On January 26, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host Obama as an honored guest at Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi.
In September 2014, Obama hosted Modi during his visit to the United States, where the leaders toured Washington. As a further sign of strong ties, in January 2015 Secretary of State John Kerry visited India, where he attended a global business summit.
Here’s a pictorial record of the growing Obama-Modi friendship, the Obamas’ 2010 India visit and Kerry’s recent trip to India:
Modi in Washington
Obama and Modi tour the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington in September 2014.
Several months after assuming office, Modi traveled to the U.S., where he met with Obama at the White House.
Obama welcomes Modi at a dinner hosted in his honor at the White House in September 2014.
During the dinner visit, Obama and Modi walked through the historic rooms of the White House.
Kerry speaks at a State Department luncheon he co-hosted with Vice President Biden (right) in honor of Modi’s Washington visit.
Obamas visit India in 2010
Obama told the Indian Parliament in 2010, “Throughout my life, including my work as a young man on behalf of the urban poor, I’ve always found inspiration in the life of Gandhiji and his simple and profound lesson to be the change we seek in the world.”
The Obamas pause for a moment of silence at Raj Ghat, a memorial to Mahatma Gandhi, in New Delhi.
The Obamas visit a memorial for the victims who died in the November 2008 terrorist attack at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel in Mumbai.
Kerry at Vibrant Gujarat
Kerry meets with Modi after both addressed the opening session of the 7th Vibrant Gujarat meeting in Gandhinagar, India, on January 11, 2015.
Kerry addresses Modi and attendees of the Global CEO Conclave at the end of the seventh Vibrant Gujarat meeting in Gandhinagar.
At the new Ford Motor Company factory about to open in Sanand, India, Kerry addresses some of the workers after touring the body shop while in town for the Vibrant Gujarat meeting.