Obama Vows to Work with Modi 'For Years to Come'

Biswal, whose parents migrated from Dahod in Gujarat, said Obama saw the Indian election in a very positive light and looked forward to welcoming Modi in Washington at the earliest opportunity. Kerry too is keen to travel to India.

"The mandate the Indian electorate put forward is one that we strongly support and we stand ready to engage and assist when the new government is ready," she said.

Meanwhile, the U.S. media greeted Modi's assumption of office as from the dawn of a "new era" to "a wildcard" for the Western world with little known about his foreign policy.

The Time called Modi's assumption of office as "ringing in a new era of governance for the world's largest democracy".

The attendance of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and other South Asian leaders at Monday's swearing in "signals an early effort by Modi to strengthen political and economic ties in the region", it said.

The New York Times also noted that Sharif in an interview with NDTV described the occasion as representing "a great moment and a great opportunity" for Pakistan and India.

"But for Modi's counterparts in Washington, Beijing, and Islamabad, India's new leader is considered a wildcard," said CNN.

"Will he be aggressive, or a dove? What is his foreign policy? Does he have a vision for India's place in the world?" the channel wondered.