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 Throughout a grueling schedule that features the United Nations
General Assembly, a rally of Indian Americans at New York's Madison
Square Garden and talks with Obama in Washington, the devout Hindu
will abstain from food.
In keeping with the habits of a lifetime, Modi will restrict himself
to a "liquid diet" throughout the Navratri festival, when India's
majority Hindus worship mother goddess Durga in all her
manifestations.
"He will only consume lemonade with some honey and a cup of tea
every day," a senior official in Modi's office in New Delhi told
Reuters.
"He has been fasting for the last four decades and does not want to
change this pattern even while he is traveling," added the official,
who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Navratri, derived from the ancient Sanskrit words 'nine nights',
falls this year from Sept. 25 to Oct. 3. The festival spans Modi's
first trip to the United States since he triumphed in a general
election in May.
It culminates on the tenth day, known as Dussehra, which marks the
victory of good over evil.
Millions of Hindus fast, pray and dance to please the mother goddess
during Navratri. Some restrict their diet to fruit and vegetables
while spurning meat, onions and garlic. Others, like Modi, a strict
vegetarian, do not eat at all.
"He wakes up at 4 a.m., meditates, prays and carries his own bottle
of lemonade with him," said another government official who has
worked closely with Modi for 12 years.
"Doctors had suggested that he should consume fruits and more juices
but he has refused to make any dietary additions during the Navratri
celebrations," said a senior minister in western state of Gujarat,
where Modi served as chief minister for more than a decade.
"In the U.S. you will not see him having dinner or lunch with
Obama," said the state minister, who is also close to Modi.
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Another Indian government source said the White House had been
informed of Modi's dietary requirements. The U.S. embassy in New
Delhi declined to comment.
U.S. officials have indicated that President Barack Obama would not
treat Modi to a state dinner, as Modi did not hold the rank of head
of state. Obama did, however, accord this honor to Modi's
predecessor, Manmohan Singh.
As a young man, Modi left home to seek enlightenment, finding
inspiration from the writings of philosopher-monk Swami Vivekananda,
who propagated the Hindu faith at the Parliament of Religions in
Chicago in 1893.
Modi's Hindu nationalist credo came under close scrutiny over
sectarian rioting in his home state of Gujarat in 2002 in which more
than 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, were killed.
Modi has denied wrongdoing and was exonerated in a Supreme Court
investigation.
In 2011, Modi fasted for three days to promote religious harmony in
Gujarat, involving several Muslim religious leaders in the event to
gain their political support.
(Reporting by Rupam Jain Nair; Editing by Douglas Busvine and Robert
Birsel)
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