To hug or not to hug: Some are hugging the headlines and others are bugged about hugs

Article Summary

This article talks about Modi’s hug-diplomacy and the history of hugging. Modi embracing the Saudi crown prince has definitely not gone well with the opposition who called the prime ministers habit as embarrassing and something that could be mistaken as duplicitous. Hugging sometimes means you don’t really have any stomach left for a fight. But Hugging has not always been sincere and has a history of deceit – symbolized by the great Maratha king Shivaji when he disembowelled Adil Shah with his tiger claws in a death clasp. The author also cites the hug between Indira Gandhi and Fidel Castro as members of the non-aligned cohort which achieved nothing substantial. The author expects the PM to slog it out rather than being zealous with visiting dignitaries and is grateful that the PM has stopped just short of kissing. Meanwhile, she keenly awaits to see the magic of the hug in the upcoming elections.