Despite being a woman

Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a rousing speech at the University of Dhaka on Sunday evening. On TV, one saw several people in the audience applauding vociferously, while some were even moved to tears with his comment that India and Bangladesh, two poor and developing countries, were not just "paas, paas" (close) but also "saath, saath" (together). But the speech lost its sheen somewhat when Modi appreciated Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's zero tolerance policy on terrorism, "mahila hone ke bavjood" or despite being a woman. The hashtag #DespiteBeingAWoman was one of the trending topics on Monday.