Four months ago Narendra Modi emerged as the runaway winner of the world 's biggest election in history . It was a surprising , overwhelming mandate for his Bharatiya Janata Party : no other Indian party had won a clear majority in parliament in three decades . Modi was the clear face of the party , the man millions of Indians believed could better their lives . But who is Narendra Modi ? What makes him tick ? How has he evolved in his first role on the national stage ? And what is his vision for India 's foreign policy ? Modi has has not done any media interviews since becoming PM . Until now . CNN 's Fareed Zakaria conducted the network 's exclusive interview . As part of the CNN team that was there at the PM 's residence at 7 Race Course Road , I got to spend a bit of time observing India 's new , enigmatic , all-powerful leader . A lot has been written about Modi in the last year . What has n't gotten enough press -- a result of the lack of access -- is what PM Modi is like up close . Here are some thoughts about what I found interesting . Modi 's lighter side . Modi has a reputation -- at least in the press -- of being a serious man , an intimidating presence . Having never met him before , I was struck by his lighter side . Modi had a natural , easy sense of humor , the likes of which I 've rarely seen when producing interviews with world leaders . When we were setting up for the interview , I asked him to do an audio test for us . `` What should I say ? '' I asked him to count to ten . `` You 're testing my primary education as well today ? '' The tension broke ; both sides were laughing . Twenty minutes through the interview , we realized Modi 's forehead had gotten shiny , perhaps because of the intense lighting . I stopped the interview , and asked our makeup artist to touch him up . `` My sweat is the product of sixty years of toil , my friends , '' Modi announced to the room . `` Sixty seconds of makeup is n't going to help me ! '' Again , laughter all round . Modi was playing to the gallery . OPINION : Memo to Modi : How to reboot India . On foreign policy . There were serious moments as well . One of the things India-watchers asked when Modi was elected was how quickly he would adapt to the global stage . Modi , after all , had little experience in international diplomacy . I 've previously written about how Modi has been quick off the block in engaging leaders of other countries . What struck me about Modi in person was how his foreign policy is rooted not in international relations theory , but in history . On China , Modi repeatedly referred to India 's historical ties with China , and how the two countries had for centuries risen and fallen in sync . When asked if he was worried about China 's growing assertiveness in territorial disputes in the East China and South China Seas , Modi said : `` India is different . It is a country of 1.25 billion people . We ca n't run our country if we get worried about every small thing . '' `` At the same time we ca n't close our eyes to problems . We 're not living in the 18th century . This is an era of partnership . Everyone will have to seek and extend help mutually . China is also a country with an ancient cultural heritage , '' he added . Modi pointed out how the world had changed since the 18th century . Back then , countries thought horizontally : they wanted to expand . Today , they think vertically , about building up their economies . Certainly , the suggestion Modi made was that he was thinking vertically -- and he was expecting his neighbors to do the same . OPINION : What India can learn from China . Right or left ? Journalists often describe Modi as a politician of the right . He 's pro-business , nationalist , talks about a leaner , smaller government , does n't want to raise taxes . Indeed , he may be all of those things . But perhaps the left-or-right prism is a Western one , best applied to developed economies . Modi struck me as a populist . He candidly talked about growing up poor , about traveling around the country and learning about life from conversations with regular people . He defended India 's policy on subsidies . For rich countries , subsidies are a political agenda , he said . `` For poor countries , subsidies are a matter of life or death . '' Modi explained he was not going to budge on bringing in FDI ( Foreign Direct Investment ) in retail ( a change many economists have called for ) because he believed in a different kind of FDI -- First Develop India . Work . At the start of our interview , Modi told us about his working life . He said he wakes up at 5 a.m. every morning -- a childhood routine -- and often stays up working and reading until anywhere from 10pm to two in the morning . So , how does he unwind , asked Fareed . The answer surprised me . Modi used an analogy of a scientist obsessed with his laboratory ; his passion keeps him in the lab all day and all night . That , Modi said , was how he felt about governance . `` Work gives me relaxation too ... I draw pleasure in governance , in doing new things and bringing people together . That pleasure is all I need from life . '' Rhetoric . One thing I was n't surprised by was Modi 's rhetoric . Up close , his speech and rhetoric are as impressive as it had seemed to be on the campaign trail and on TV . He had clearly prepared thoroughly for questions he thought an international broadcaster might ask . He knew the right things to say -- even off camera . But great rhetoric also means great expectations . It 's too soon to judge Modi on results . For sure , CNN will be back later to ask and check if he has delivered .
CNN granted first interview with Narendra Modi since he became Indian PM . Modi has a reputation for being an intimidating presence but showed a lighter side . Foreign policy seemed to be rooted in history , not international relations theory . He candidly talked about growing up poor and defended Indian subsidies .