JD Vance’s 4-Day India Visit Begins with Temple Stop

By Vivan Singh | April 21, 2025 | Categories: WORLD, INDIA, Political

Heat wave doesn’t stop VP’s high-level diplomatic mission.

New Delhi: On October 10, 2023, Vice President JD Vance arrived in New Delhi, kicking off a four-day official visit to India to strengthen bilateral strategic cooperation. Joining him on this significant diplomatic trip are his wife, Usha Vance, and their three children — Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel. This is one of the highest-level visits by a U.S. official to India in recent months and comes at a time when both countries are trying to forge deeper ties in areas such as defense, trade, technology, and climate change.

The family landed in Delhi early Monday morning and was instantly met with a stark climate change. While the capital of the United States was enjoying a pleasant 16 degrees Celsius, Delhi, on the other hand, greeted them with a sweltering 40 degrees Celsius. That was a big jump, especially for the children, who were reportedly taken aback by the intense summer heat of northern India, a 24-degree difference from what they were used to.

Irrespective of their sudden weather discomfort, the family appeared to be in good spirits and set off straight for the world-famous Akshardham Temple shortly upon their arrival. The temple, with its elaborate architecture and prevailing spiritual ambience, offered a calming contrast to the blistering heat and so laid a beautiful beginning to their expedition in India. The Vice President and his family were captured engaging in the rituals, taking in the cultural and spiritual significance of the monument, and being told the history and values it stands for.

The visit forms a partial homecoming for JD Vance’s wife, Usha, of Indian descent, and some cultural immersion for the children. According to officials, the family wished to start their journey in India at a location that could demonstrate the country’s spiritual heritage and rich traditions.

For the next four days, Vice President Vance will engage in various high-level meetings with Indian leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, as well as some of the most prominent business and technological executives. Some of the topics likely to arise include enhancing cooperation in cybersecurity, strengthening bilateral trade, burgeoning defense partnerships, and global climate challenges. Discussions may also include regional security and changing geopolitical tides in the Indo-Pacific region.

Analysts and diplomats are keeping a close watch on this visit as yet another sign of Washington’s interest in solidifying partnerships with New Delhi, and the experts view it as a positive step toward deepening trust and collaboration between the two world’s largest democracies.

The vice president traveling with his family shows that this trip is very special to him personally and sends a much wider message about how much he believes in people-to-people connections. In due course, the program is likely to serve as a confluence of diplomacy and cultural engagement with strategic dialogue and then lay the groundwork for a much deeper India-US relationship in the years to come.

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