For PM Narendra Modi, English Switchover Came Naturally

In his address to the Australian parliament in English, Modi even cracked a local joke on "shirtfronting", evoking laughter.

Modi, who uses his hands expressively during his speeches and likes to pause to await the audience reaction whenever he has posed a query or made a light hearted remark, is able to get directly across to his foreign audiences with his English speeches.

The two teleprompters are placed on either side of the podium and not visible to TV audiences. Modi swings his head comfortably between the two, reading the lines as they scroll down in keeping with the speed of his speech-delivery.

In his informal interactions during the G20 Summit in Brisbane, Modi was seen cracking jokes and chatting and laughing with global leaders, including Obama, mostly without the help of aides, highlighting how comfortable Modi has become in conversing in English and also in conducting diplomacy.

Obama is known to be a frequent user of the teleprompter, even for short speeches. During an event last year, Obama jokingly chided his aides for forgetting to load his speech on to the teleprompter, which they did hurriedly.

READ MORE: Tibet Launches General Survey Of Classics Collections and Arvind Kejriwal To Address Students At Columbia University