- Title: INDIA: Indians celebrate Modi's inauguration with fireworks and street dance
- Date: 26th May 2014
- Summary: THIS EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3 AHMEDABAD, GUJARAT, INDIA (MAY 26, 2014) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI-NO ACCESS BBC) MOTHER OF PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI, HIRABEN, WATCHING SWEARING- IN CEREMONY ON T.V. WITH FAMILY MEMBERS SWEARING-IN CEREMONY ON TELEVISION SCREEN MODI'S MOTHER AND BROTHER WATCHING SWEARING-IN CEREMONY MOTHER WATCHING MODI TAKING OATH VIEWED ON THE TELEVISION OATH-TAKING CEREMONY ON TELEVISION FAMILY MEMBERS CHEERING AS MODI TAKES OATH BROTHER WITH TEARS IN HIS EYES AS MODI TAKES OATH MODI'S MOTHER LOOKING EMOTIONAL PEOPLE BURSTING FIRE CRACKERS OUTSIDE NARENDRA MODI'S MOTHER'S HOUSE CELEBRATIONS IN STREET VARANASI, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA (MAY 26, 2014) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI-NO ACCESS BBC) HINDU CEREMONY OF LIGHT (AARTI) BEING PERFORMED ON THE BANKS OF RIVER GANGES PRIEST PERFORMING AARTI CEREMONIAL LIGHT CROWD WATCHING CEREMONY AARTI IN PROGRESS PEOPLE SITTING AND PRAYING PRIEST PERFORMING RITUAL MAN BEATING A DRUM PEOPLE WATCHING THE CEREMONY PRIEST BLOWING CONCH SHELL (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) LOCAL RESIDENT, YOGANAND SHASTRI, SAYING: "I feel that Modi will take India on the path of progress along with its cultural heritage and the River Ganges, which is very sacred for Indians and it's the epitome of its ethos. I think that Modi will definitely do something positive to revive the glory of the River Ganges. I have many a time been to Gujarat and seeing the development of the state I believe the same will happen throughout the country." JAIPUR, RAJASTHAN, INDIA (MAY 26, 2014) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI-NO ACCESS BBC) PEOPLE BURSTING FIRE CRACKERS WOMEN PERFORMING RITUALS WOMEN CHEERING FOR MODI (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) BHARATIYA JANATA PARTY (BJP) SUPPORTER, NEELAM, SAYING: "The whole country has won, the poor have won and the common people of this country have won with the victory of Narendra Modi. The whole country is celebrating the new prime minister as people revel in festivities. People are distributing sweets everywhere." NAGPUR, MAHARASHTRA, INDIA (MAY 26, 2014) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI-NO ACCESS BBC) SUPPORTERS BURSTING FIRE CRACKERS ON THE STREETS SUPPORTERS WAVING BJP FLAG SUPPORTERS DISTRIBUTING SWEETS WOMEN EATING SWEETS WOMEN DANCING MAN BEATING TRADITIONAL DRUM WHILE MEN DANCE A MUSLIM MAN DANCING WITH A BJP SUPPORTER BJP SUPPORTERS PERFORMING TRADITIONAL DANCE WOMEN DANCING TO DRUM BEAT THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, KERALA, INDIA (MAY 26, 2014) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI-NO ACCESS BBC) MEN BEATING DRUMS VARIOUS OF SUPPORTERS BURSTING FIRE CRACKERS ON THE STREET MEN DANCING TO THE BEAT OF DRUMS DRUMS BEING BEATEN VARIOUS OF MAN SERVING TEA ON STREET
- Embargoed: 11th June 2014 11:42
- Keywords:
- Location: India
- Country: India
- Topics: Politics
- Reuters ID: LVAC0P163FEABAESQ93ZDHFL7JNB
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Story Text: Jubilant supporters celebrated with fire crackers, sweets and street dance on Monday (May 26) as Narendra Modi was inaugurated as India's new prime minister.
Modi's mother, Hiraben, did not attend the swearing-in ceremony in person and instead watched the proceedings on television, with members of her family.
Modi was sworn in in an elaborate ceremony at New Delhi's presidential palace, after a sweeping election victory that ended two terms of rule by the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty.
The low-caste son of a tea stall-owner, Modi won India's first parliamentary majority after 25 years of coalition governments, giving him ample room to advance economic reforms that started over two decades ago but stalled in recent years.
Many supporters see him as India's answer to the former U.S. President Ronald Reagan or British leader Margaret Thatcher. One foreign editor has ventured Modi could turn out to be "India's Deng Xiaoping", the leader who set China on its path of spectacular economic growth.
In Varanasi, Modi's constituency where he won a landslide victory, supporters were jubilant.
"I feel that Modi will take India on the path of progress along with its cultural heritage and the River Ganges, which is very sacred for Indians and it's the epitome of its ethos. I think that Modi will definitely do something positive to revive the glory of the River Ganges. I have many a time been to Gujarat and seeing the development of the state I believe the same will happen throughout the country," said local resident, Yoganand Shastri.
Meanwhile, people in India's 'pink city' of Jaipur danced on the streets hailing the new premier.
"The whole country has won, the poor have won and the common people of this country have won with the victory of Narendra Modi. The whole country is celebrating the new prime minister as people revel in festivities. People are distributing sweets everywhere," said a delighted BJP supporter, Neelam.
Even before his inauguration, Modi had some recognition abroad, treated by many with suspicion - and by some as a pariah - for Hindu-Muslim violence that erupted 12 years ago in Gujarat, the western state he ruled.
The U.S. administration denied Modi a visa in 2005, but President Barack Obama has now invited him to the White House. He has spoken with the presidents of the United States and Russia and he has become one of only three people that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe follows on Twitter. - Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
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