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Journalism of Courage
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday arrived in New York where he met several business and thought leaders like Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Nobel Prize winner Paul Romer and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. He also met with experts in healthcare, tech and education sectors and discussed the National Education policy, tuberculosis elimination efforts and policymaking, among other topics.
Here is the list of prominent personalities PM Modi has met on the first leg of his maiden state visit to the US at the invitation of President Joe Biden.
‘Multifaceted conversations’ with Elon Musk
Drawing wider attention, PM Modi met Tesla CEO Elon Musk and tweeted that he had multifaceted conversations on issues ranging from energy to spirituality. Meanwhile, the world’s richest person told media that Tesla will be in India soon and he is planning to visit the country next year.
The business magnate is the owner of social media platform Twitter and has recently said that India’s rules for social media platforms are “quite strict” and that he would rather comply with the government’s blocking orders than risk sending Twitter employees to jail. He had also said that he would sell the company if the right person came along.
Musk cofounded six companies including electric automobile company Tesla, rocket producer SpaceX and The Boring Company, infrastructure and tunnel construction services company, Neuralink, neurotechnology company which produces implantable brain–computer interfaces. He had also co-founded and sold PayPal, a firm that operates online payments system and Zip2, which gave licensed online city guide services.
Nobel laureate Professor Paul Romer talked about making cities sustainable
After meeting eminent economist and Nobel laureate, Professor Paul Romer, PM Modi tweeted that he talked about how to make cities more sustainable and people friendly. “Glad to have met noted economist and Nobel laureate, Professor @paulmromer. We had extensive conversations on leveraging technology to improve lives. We also talked about how to make our cities more sustainable and people friendly,” PM Modi tweeted.
Romer received the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2018 for his work “economy of ideas” revealing how different it is when an economy produces and distributes not only physical objects but also ideas. Currently, he directs the Boston College’s Center for the Economics of Ideas. He is also a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a non-resident scholar at Macdonald-Laurier Institute in Ottawa, Ontario.
He had earlier served as the Chief Economist at the World Bank where he focused on the institution’s critical research function. He was also the founding director of New York University’s Marron Institute of Urban Management. His vast portfolio accredits his stint with United States Department of Justice on the Microsoft Antitrust vase. Paul received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Chicago. He had taught at NYU, Stanford, Berkeley, Chicago, and Rochester.
‘Met my friend’: Raymond Thomas Dalio, founder of Bridgewater
Referring to billionaire investor, Raymond Thomas Dalio as a friend, PM Modi wrote on Twitter, “Met my friend, the distinguished author and investor @RayDalio. Urged him to deepen investments in India and also talked about the reform trajectory of our Government.”
Dalio is the founder of Bridgewater, investment management firm and a New York Times bestselling author of Principles: Your Guided Journal. Founded in 1975 from his two-bedroom apartment, Bridgewater’s growth into a global institution in 47 years credits to Dalio’s perseverance.
Dalio currently dons the role of a mentor to the CIOs and Investment Committee of the company. He had served as Bridgewater’s CEO, CIO and Chairman. Chief Investment Officer magazine had compared Dalio to Steve Jobs in an article titled “Is Ray Dalio the Steve Jobs of Investing?” and he was also named by TIME magazine as one of 2012’s “100 Most Influential People in the World.”
In addition, Fortune Magazine referred his company Bridgewater as the fifth “most important private company in the US” in 2016, Bridgewater website said. He completed MBA from Harvard Business School in 1975.
Professor Nassim Nicholas Taleb presents his book to PM Modi
Author and Professor Nassim Nicholas Taleb presented his book “Skin in the Game” to PM Modi during his meeting. Mentioning about the meeting, PM Modi tweeted, “Professor @nntaleb has interesting perspectives on many issues and I had the opportunity to hear them on some of those subjects. He was greatly interested in India’s development strides. I emphasised on how we are nurturing a spirit of enterprise and risk taking among our youth.”
Taleb, a multi-disciplinary expert, serves as retired distinguished professor at New York University. The essayist, derivatives trader wrote the book The Black Swan in 2007, which was referred as one of the 12 most influential books since World War II by The Sunday Times.
Earlier, he held senior positions at Credit Suisse First Boston, UBS, BNP-Paribas, Indosuez (now Calyon), Bankers Trust (now Deutsche Bank). Testified twice for the United States Congress, he had also advised various heads of states, US agencies and international organisations.
He earned PhD from the University of Paris and MBA from the Wharton School. His “The Black Swan” is part of a five-volume essay Incerto, which includes Antifragile, Fooled by Randomness, The Bed of Procrustes, and Skin in the Game. The prolific essayist who won several prizes and honorary doctorates, was listed among the Bloomberg 50 most influential persons in the world in 2011, according to NYU website.
Talks about space, science with Neil deGrasse Tyson
PM Modi met incredible personalities from different walks of life and it included Neil deGrasse Tyson, an astrophysicist. “Talked space, science and related issues with @neiltyson. Highlighted steps India is taking to reform the space sector and draw more youngsters towards science as well as innovation,” Modi tweeted.
He is the recipient of the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, “the highest award given by NASA to a non-government citizen”. He completed PhD Astrophysics from Columbia and BA in Physics from Harvard. He was appointed by former US President Bush twice for space related research.
In 2006, he was appointed by the head of NASA to serve the space agency’s Advisory Council. The New York Times bestseller has penned fifteen books including his popular memoir, The Sky is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist. His popular podcast StarTalk brings science to common people with informative yet playful banter including professional standup comedians.
‘Highlighted India’s Buddhist heritage’ with Bob Thurman
Terming the interaction with Buddhist author Bob Thurman as “outstanding”, PM Modi tweeted, “The interaction with @BobThurman was outstanding. I admire his passion towards research and scholarship on aspects relating to Buddhism. I highlighted India’s Buddhist heritage and how Buddhism can help overcome many challenges our world faces.”
Thurman is the founder and president of Tibet House US, a non-profit organization working towards the preservation and promotion of Tibetan culture, and American Institute of Buddhist Studies.
An author of several books on Tibet, Buddhism, art, politics and culture, Thurman was the first Westerner Tibetan Buddhist monk ordained by Dalai Lama. The 2020 Padma Shri awardee was named by The New York Times as the leading American expert on Tibetan Buddhism. He was also listed as one among the 25 most influential Americans in 1997.
His tryst with India dates back to his graduation days at Harvard. He left Harvard on a spiritual quest throughout Europe the Middle East and Asia. He reached India and met Dalai Lama in 1962 and became a Tibetan Buddhist monk. Later, he finished his PhD at Harvard.
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