'My kids viewed Modi as a grandfather': US Second Lady Usha Vance recalls 'trip of a lifetime' to India

US Vice President JD Vance, Second Lady Usha Vance and their kids visited India on a four-day tour in April.

Narrating her experience of stay in India, Usha said, "It really was the trip of a lifetime for us. My children had never been to India, what with the pandemic and JD's entry into politics and all of that. And so they'd grown up just knowing so much about this country, the stories. food, the relationships with grandparents and friends, but they had never actually seen it. So it was just sort of mind-blowing from their perspective. And then for me and JD, I think it just could not have been any more special.

"We had the opportunity to see some of the greatest sites in North India. We're looking forward to our next trip and trying to get to the parts of the country where my family is from as well. And it just was sort of one hit after another, right. The most incredible food, the peacocks that we got to see, everywhere we went, getting to see the Taj Mahal in the morning and appreciate it as the sun was just sort of coming up and the cool skies and blue skies over in the background."

Usha Vance made the remark speaking at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum in Washington DC.

Modi not only met the US Veep and the Second Lady but also their kids at the Prime Minister's residence in the national capital New Delhi.

Usha Vance recalled her kids "just love" the Indian Prime Minister whom they immediately put "in the grandfather category" after seeing him.

"Meeting the Prime Minister, that was really very special. We'd actually had a chance to meet him before. And it's funny, my kids saw him. They were sort of sleep deprived in Paris and they saw an Indian man with a white beard and white hair, and they just put him in the grandfather category immediately. They are very into him. They just love him.

"And he really cemented his status by giving our five-year-old a birthday present that day. So, when we were able to visit his home, they just sort of ran up. They were hugging him. He was just incredibly kind and generous to them," she said

The Second Lady added, "I think it was very productive conversation for JD and the Prime Minister, of course. But also, think it was a real opportunity for us to kind of cement that personal relationship that they have, which I think is only to the good. And as you mentioned, there was a puppet show.

"That was a particular highlight with sort of puppeteering from all over the country, including from Andhra Pradesh, where my family is from. There were bits from the Ramayana. There were sort of comedic bits with animals, and it was a huge hit. My kids have been trying to recreate a home of construction paper, which is going about as well as you can imagine."

In the course of the interaction, Usha Vance shared her eldest son Ewan was captivated by the temple sculptures, her middle child enjoyed seeing elephants, camels and peacocks while her daughter's favourite time was auto-rickshaw ride.

"I think JD has probably told the story at some point, but when we were at the Prime Minister's residence, our son was just so taken by everything and then taken by the entire cart of mangoes that was available for him to eat, that he announced to the Prime Minister that he thought he could maybe live there and started making his plans...And our children, they talk about it all the time actually," Usha Vance said.

"They've been all over the place and they've had wonderful opportunities to see the world, but this was really special to them. Ewan, our oldest, was really taken by the sculptures in the temple that he visited. He just thought it was incredible craftsmanship and of course showed things that he was very familiar with from stories and from talking with me."

She added, And then, Vivek, our middle child, was very excited to meet elephants and peacocks and a camel and just any animal that he could kind of get his hands on. And then our daughter thinks she's sort of along for the ride. She really enjoyed her time in an auto rickshaw. That was maybe the highlight for her. The Secret Service was very generous and allowed us to kind of drive in an enclosed area for a few minutes. So we had lot of fun with that."

Usha Vance's words for the Indian Prime Minister came at a time when the two countries are facing bilateral issues.

Though the two countries are set to ink a trade deal, US President Donald Trump has warned Apple CEO Tim Cook of facing tariffs if he sets up manufacturing units in India or elsewhere.

Trump, who is vocal against India's tariffs but praises Modi, also claimed to have played a role in the ceasefire between New Delhi and Islamabad during the May 7-10 military conflict.

However, India has categorically rejected Trump's claim of using trade as incentive to call for a ceasefire.