The 'bromance' between Modi and Obama couldn't have been more evident! Know why

It's no great surprise that Time picked Narendra Modi as one of its 100 Most Influential People. 'India's reformer-in-chief ', as Time describes him, stormed the 2014 election, winning the biggest parliamentary majority the country has seen in a long while.

More remarkable is that the magazine got Barack Obama to write the citation, reflecting the strong bond that's developed between the two.

Obama and Modi first met in September last year. Their relationship grew during Obama's visit to India early this year, when he was chief guest at the Republic Day parade. The 44th president of the US referred to Modi's ascent from humble origins —"from poverty to Prime Minister"— and his resolve to deliver on the pledge of development.

"Determined to help more Indians follow in his path, he's laid out an ambitious vision to reduce extreme poverty, improve education, empower women and girls and unleash India's true economic potential while confronting climate change," Obama wrote. "Like India, he transcends the ancient and the modern — a devotee of yoga who connects with Indian citizens on Twitter and imagines a 'digital India'."

Obama also used the opportunity to reiterate a point he made toward the end of his visit to India and subsequently, about the need to nurture India's diversity.

Obama recalled Modi's visit to Washington last year when both the leaders visited the memorial to Dr Martin Luther King Junior, an American civil rights activist.

"When he came to Washington, Narendra and I visited the memorial to Dr Martin Luther King Jr. We reflected on the teachings of King and Gandhi and how the diversity of backgrounds and faiths in our countries is a strength we have to protect," Obama wrote in the Time citation.

"PM Modi recognizes that more than 1 billion Indians living and succeeding together can be an inspiring model for the world." This comes as right-wing elements have been making statements of a majoritarian nature, including a call by Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena to take away the right to vote from Muslims — comments he later said were misinterpreted -- and denunciations against proselytisation.

There has also been a spate of attacks on churches in the last few months, which has unsettled sections of the Christian community.

For his part, Modi has been at pains to emphasise that he is the Prime Minister of all Indians. Currently on an extended overseas trip that's taken him to France, Germany and Canada, Modi told an audience in Paris on April 10 that "we will defend and protect the rights and liberty of every citizen" and "ensure every citizen of every religion has an equal place".

Also on the list

Others in the Time list include Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, ICICI Bank managing director and CEO Chanda Kochhar and Vikram Patel, co-founder of the NGO Sangath and the Centre for Global Mental Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

"Satya Nadella is setting Microsoft up for greatness again," said Box CEO Aaron Levie in his citation. "In his short but impactful tenure, he has focused on driving openness where Microsoft was once closed, even when it has meant supporting competing services in the process." Nadella has broken all the old Microsoft rules, he said: "Satya is basically the star of one of those teen movies where the parents go out of town and the kid takes control of the place. And it's been great."

Kochhar's citation is by Anshu Jain, co-chief executive officer of Deutsche Bank. "Her calm, soft-spoken and understated demeanour belies her strength of conviction and clarity of thought. When Chanda speaks, people listen carefully," Jain wrote. "She has shaped retail banking in India ever since she assumed her pivotal role in establishing ICICI Bank during the 1990s." He also paid tribute to her role as an inspiration for women, concluding with: "I have yet to find anything Chanda can't do. She's a first-class leader, strategist and friend."

Patel is a gifted psychiatrist and effective communicator, according to Barbara Van Dahlen of Give an Hour, a network of volunteer mental health professionals. "It is hard to imagine a more difficult challenge than addressing the unmet needs of those from resource-poor countries who live with and suffer from mental-health disorders," said Van Dahlen. Patel has been campaigning to spread "the simple yet profound idea of mental health for all. He provides hope that mental illness and trauma make us neither weak nor unworthy of love and respect."