New coffee table book chronicles life of PM Modi

A coffee-table book titled "Narendra Modi: A Charismatic & Visionary Statesman" was dedicated to the prime minister on the occasion of his 68th birthday on Monday.

The 672-page book, weighing 5 kilograms on Japanese matte art paper, claims to present an objective picture of the country's 14th PM Narendra Modi, who the authors said "successfully left the spectre of the Gujarat riots of 2002 behind to rise like a phoenix in spite of much adversity and court battles".

The foreword of the book by international writers and jurists Adish C Aggarwala and Sarah J Marchington, is written by BJP president Amit Shah.

"Shri Narendra Modi has become an icon of politics of development. With his thrust on innovation and entrepreneurship, he has taken a slew of de-licensing and deregulation measures to remove complexities that hindered growth of business in the country, Shah writes in the foreword.

Peppered with rare photographs of Modi, be it of his childhood or his meetings with eminent personalities from across the world, the book also offers readers a peep into the everyday regime of the prime minister from his morning tea till the "time he retires for the day at 1 am".

"The difference between Narendra Modi and others begin with his daily schedule and routine. He gets up early, and sleeps late. Venkaiah Naidu, Vice President, joked that Narendra Modi doesn't sleep, and doesn't allow his ministers to do so.

"It's now established that the Prime Minister is awake by 4 am," reads the book.

Several cabinet ministers and chief ministers, including Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, have also contributed to the book.

One of the articles written by the defence minister reads: "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has provided much needed leadership to the masses. His idea of governance is inclusive and people oriented. Under his able leadership, we have been able to retain the tenets of peace even in times of grave provocation by our immediate neighbour."