On the 65th anniversary of the adoption of India’s constitution, January 26, 2015, President Obama will be the first U.S. President to attend India’s Republic Day.

“This is a rite of passage for both nations, made possible by the election of Prime Minister Modi, the vibrancy of the Indian people, and the long line of American diplomats who have kept the idea of India alive, including the recent push by the administration – VP Biden, Sec. Kerry, Sec. Clinton and Sec. Hagel – all traveling to India on recent diplomatic missions. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of India’s constitution, who studied at Columbia University with John Dewey, the American progressive philosopher who advanced the idea of educational equality, must be smiling now.”

Sharma is associate research professor at Binghamton University’s Institute for Global Cultural Studies in Binghamton, N.Y. He is the editor of the new book The Global Obama: Crossroads of Leadership in the 21st Century,” published by Routledge Press. His previous book, Barack Obama in Hawaii and Indonesia: The Making of a Global President,” was rated as the Top Ten Black History Book for 2012.