Hello world, great to be on Instagram, says PM Modi on debut

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, known for his social media prowess, on Wednesday made his debut on Instagram, sharing a picture from the venue of the ASEAN and EAST Asia summit.

“Hello World! Great being on Instagram. My first photo... this one from the ASEAN Summit, @Nay Pyi Taw,” Modi said in a post on his Twitter account.

The photo taken by the Prime Minister was of the giant billboard of the 25th ASEAN Summit and of the golden bordered red carpet leading upto it at the Myanmar International Convention Centre.

Within hours of Modi posting his first image on Instagram, the PM was flooded with nearly 38,000 followers.

“The photograph itself indicates a red carpet welcome to the summit and to Instagram. We welcome you in to instagram,” said one user.

Modi, looking dapper in a dark suit, also posted a picture of himself making the Instagram debut. “At the Summit...captured a glimpse of the venue,” Modi tweeted alongside the picture of him taking the photo.

Modi posts messages on social media websites like Twitter and Facebook on a regular basis. He is one of the fourth most followed world leaders.

Instagram is an online mobile photo-sharing, video-sharing and social networking service that enables its users to take pictures and videos and share them on a variety of social networking platforms, such as Facebook, and Twitter.

A distinctive feature is that it confines photos to a square shape. The service, launched in October 2010, has gained popularity, with over 100 million active users.

Modi is in Myanamr capital to attend the ASEAN-India and East Asia summits where he is making a debut on the second leg of his three-nation ten-day tour that will also take him to Australia and Fiji.           

One of the most tech-savvy politicians in the country, Modi has been asking his ministers and officials to join the social media bandwagon.

Image: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's images on Instagram.