India, Sept. 16 -- From schoolmates to families who shared festivals and friendships, Narendra Modi's childhood in Vadnagar included close associations with several Muslim families. Some of those friendships have endured in memories and personal accounts long after he left the town.
Narendra Modi's political career has taken him from the lanes of Vadnagar to the highest office in India. Over the years, his relationship with leaders of Muslim-majority and Gulf countries has been an important part of his diplomatic outreach. But before politics and diplomacy, there was a much more ordinary world-the Vadnagar of his childhood, where friendships were formed at school and neighbourhood families frequently visited one another.
Several Muslim fr...