Ahead of arrival, Obama talks of Modi's 'remarkable life story'

New Delhi:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "remarkable life story-from tea-seller to prime minister is a reflection of the determination of the Indian people to succeed," President Obama has said in an interview to a leading magazine.

In the interview conducted via email on the eve of his arrival in Delhi to serve as guest of honour for India's Republic Day celebrations, President Obama praises the PM for "a clear vision of the big things he wants India to achieve."

POTUS arrives in Delhi at 10 am on Sunday with wife Michelle for a three-day trip.

Describing his invitation to the PM for talks at the White House in September, the President tells India Today, "I felt that it was important for us to meet early in his tenure so that we could take full advantage of the new energy and new hopes surrounding his election."

Acknowledging that "no two nations agree on everything," the President says, "When those of us at the leadership level agree on a course of action, our governments have to actually implement our decisions. We have to make sure that words are matched by deeds.