All prime ministerial visits are calibrated for a specific goal, be it economic, diplomatic, political or cultural. That is true of all Indian Prime Ministers but it is especially true of Mr Narendra Modi. Once you get past his gushing, uncritical fan base, those goals become sharper.

A striking example of that is his visit to Silicon Valley in general and Tesla Energy headquarters and Facebook town hall meeting in particular. The Prime Minister’s choice of South African-born Canadian-American technology entrepreneur Mr Elon Musk’s facility in Silicon Valley was significant for its potential whose details are not well known to many.

The name Tesla is Mr Musk’s tribute to the Serbian-born American Nikola Tesla (July 10, 1856 to January 7, 1943), widely regarded as the father of the electrical age given his pioneering work in alternating current and induction motor in the late 19th and early 20th century. He was by a wide consensus a true-blue genius whose range of scientific vision stretched from presaging hand-held devices carrying data we now call smart phones to robotics and limitless free energy.