Political observers, preoccupied with debating over whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi gained or conceded in his meeting last week with newly elected US President Donald Trump, seem to have missed out on a remarkable difference from Modi's previous visits to the US.
There was a conspicuous and significant absence of the Indian American community in the US coming out in large numbers to cheer the Prime Minister. This had become a ritualistic spectacle of both, obeisance to the supreme leader, and also a showcase of the high-profile of one of the most influential migrant communities in that country.
Modi, known for his fondness for projecting a larger-than-life profile, revelled in this public adulation, albeit from locals of Indian origin in the most powerful country of the world. His government machinery, backed by other cheerleaders, including the media, went out of its way to use routine prime ministerial visits for image-building geared towards domestic politics.