Narendra Damodardas Modi, born on Sept. 17, 1950, is the 15th and current prime minister of India.
On May 26, 2014, Modi took oath as the prime minister of India, becoming the first ever PM to be born after India attained independence.
He rose from a poverty-stricken family to a development-oriented leader, eventually becoming the longest-serving chief minister of the state of Gujarat for 12 years.
Modi, who holds a towering personality, is one of the few charismatic mass leaders which India has seen in its history.
His rise through the ranks and files of the BJP was rapid, as he wisely chose mentors to further his career.
After taking oath of office, Modi launched several welfare schemes and projects especially targeting the poor segment of society in India. In a first, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana marked a paradigm shift in ensuring that every citizen is integrated in the financial system of the nation.
His clarion call for ‘Make in India’ complimented by a focus on making business easy has stimulated unprecedented vigor and enterprise among investors and entrepreneurs.
Labor reforms and dignity of labor under the ‘Shrameva Jayate’ initiative has empowered several workers of small and medium industries, also providing a boost to the skilled youth.
The government of India launched three social security schemes for the people of India and also focused on giving pension to the elderly and insurance cover to the poor. 
In July 2015, the prime minister unveiled the ‘Digital India Mission’ to create a Digital India where technology plays a key role in bringing a qualitative change on people’s lives.
As an advocate working for closer public-private partnership, Modi has promoted privatization of businesses, small government and human values.
In 1995, Modi was elected BJP national secretary. He was selected to head the BJP’s 2014 election campaign to the Lok Sabha (the lower house of India’s parliament), while a grassroots campaign was already in place to elect him prime minister.
Modi campaigned hard, portraying himself as a pragmatic candidate capable of turning around India’s economy.
In May 2014, he and his party were victorious, taking 282 of the 534 seats in the Lok Sabha.
The victory marked a crushing defeat to the Indian National Congress, which had controlled politics for most of the previous 60 years, and sent a message that Indian citizens were behind an agenda of radical change.
Modi, who had a modest beginning, has won several awards and commendations. In 2007, he was named the best chief minister in the country, in a survey conducted by India Today magazine.
He was featured on the cover page of March 2012 issue of TIME’s Asian edition. In 2014, he ranked at15 on Forbes magazine’s list of the ‘World’s Most Powerful People’.
He was listed among ‘Time 100 most influential people in the world’ by Time magazine, in 2014.
Modi was also named as the second most-followed politician on Twitter and Facebook on the ‘30 most influential people on the Internet’ list released by Time magazine in 2015.
The Indian premier has attached great importance to strong ties with the Arab world including Saudi Arabia.
His visit to the UAE in August 2015, the first by an Indian PM in 34 years, covered tremendous ground in enhancing India’s economic partnership with the Gulf.
His powerful ‘personal connect’ with the people on ground is complemented by a strong online presence.
He is known as India’s most techno-savvy leader, using the web to reach people and bring about change in their lives as well as in Indian society.
He is very active on social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Sound Cloud, Linkedin, Weibo and other forums. Beyond politics,
Modi enjoys writing. He has authored several books, including poetry.
He begins his day with yoga, which centers his body and mind and instills the power of calmness in an otherwise fast-paced routine.