Resident Bollywood Nerd
I'm not celebrating. Jaya is a lone sane figure when it comes to the tempestuous sea of insanity which is Tamil Nadu politics. She may be a criminal, sure, but Karunanidhi and Stalin are much, much bigger than her, and do their level best to turn TN into their own personal fief.
To use an analogy used for Kim Il-Sung, Karunanidhi read 'The Godfather' in college and decided to give it the old college try.
Resident Bollywood Nerd
Narendra Modi is at Madison Square Garden, giving a speech. In Hindi. And it is awesome.
I'm sure Shinra, brainpattern and the other Indian tropers are glued to their T Vs, or if lucky, actually there.
When Obama Meets Modi: The Superpower and the Global Swing State
Another good article from Foreign Policy. I can really recommend buying their subscription if you're interested in that type of thing.
The article, in summary, argues that both China and the USA badly need India on-side. The author argues that Washington should project confidence and take a firm line against China to impress Modi and new Delhi. Personally, I agree. I would rather an Indian-led global order than a Chinese one.
Schild und Schwert der ParteiThe Pivot to India: Why the US-Indian partnership is at the heart of America's future in Asia.
John McCain on the future of US-India relations.
Schild und Schwert der ParteiSince when he is considered a joke? He's a bit of an outdated Cold Warrior but by the current standards of the GOP he's hasn't jumped on the crazy train. Democrats don't hate him and they and most mainstream Republicans probably at least respect him to a degree.
Regarding Washington's relationship pivot towards India; there could be a lot going on hidden from the public eye. I can't think of many reasons for the US/the West to not cultivate closer ties with India to be honest.
Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.India doesn't general get cowed, that's why. Any deals the West offers has to be on par with what they'd offer their closest allies, not a nation they're courting. Thats actually a lot of legwork to be done. And then there is the infamous Indian bureaucracy to deal with.
Then you have to balance what Pakistan would do or say (the reduction in their importance/care to the west is part of the reason things are going forward) or China would do or say (which was more important pre-crisis), as well as other priorities.

True that, though ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) headquarters are in Bangalore, launches generally happen from Kerala, more specifically places like Rameswaram and very close to Kanyakumari (the southern tip of India).