Selfie moment with Modi, Trump not spontaneous

The Hegde family sits in their living room in San Antonio, Texas. (From left) Madha Hegde, Satvik Hegde and Prabhakar Hegde.

Thirteen-year-old Satvik Hegde entered the annals of 'selfie glory' by securing a photo with Prime Minister Modi and US President Donald Trump during the 'Howdy, Modi!' event in Houston on Sunday.

"It was just another selfie. I was lucky to get it, but more than that, I was grateful that Trump and Modi obliged my request," Satvik told DH. He added, however, that he had some fear that the US Secret Service would descend upon him and take away his phone.

The much-reported moment, which has triggered a perfect storm of praise and selfie envy in India, happened just as Modi and Trump walked past a line of traditional Indian dancers and children dressed in yoga garb. Satvik, whose family hails from Siddapur in Uttara Kannada, stepped out of the column and asked for a selfie.

According to Satvik, he asked Trump: "Can I take a selfie with you, sir?" By that point, Modi was already several steps ahead, but upon hearing this, he apparently turned back and the two national leaders clustered around the boy for the photograph.

Modi patted Satvik on the back and said: “Kamal kar diya” (you did well), while Trump allegedly told the boy that he is going to be a successful man. "Because you know what you want,” Trump added, according to Satvik’s father, Prabhakar Hegde, an IT professional who moved his family to San Antonio, Texas, a decade ago.

However, Prabhakar hinted that the selfie was not entirely spontaneous. "The organiser of the yoga contingent, Dr Hetal Nayak, had informed the group that a child should go up to the national leaders and ask for a selfie and that Satvik had been informed ahead. But there was no follow-up information," he said.

While the image has gone viral in India, Prabhakar added the response has been more muted in the US. "Only a local TV channel, KSAT, reached out to Satvik. And because he refused to comment, they ran an item based on reportage coming out of India," he said.

Satvik, who is currently in the 9th grade, said that he hopes to become a doctor, but that he is also fascinated by history. He is also a gifted piano player, having practised for several years, according to Prabhakar.