After John Kerry makes "boat" joke, PM Narendra Modi tells US leader: 'Looks like rains have warmly welcomed you'

New Delhi: US Secretary of State John Kerry called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Wednesday after addressing students at the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi and cracking a joke at the rains in Delhi. 

Did you come in boats? This was the question Kerry had raised at the IIT-Delhi last morning. The US Secretary of State was 40 minutes late for the event at the IIT as his carcade waded through the waterlogged roads from his hotel, otherwise a 15-minute ride. On Monday also, on his way to a hotel from the airport, Kerry was stuck for almost an hour in traffic due to waterlogged roads.

When Kerry met PM Modi, monsoon floods in New Delhi became a talking point at the meeting.

"It looks like the rains this time have warmly welcomed you," Modi said as he greeted Kerry and the US delegation on Wednesday for talks.

As the US delegation approached Modi`s office, Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker fell when her heel got caught in a crack on the sidewalk. Kerry came to her aid, picking up a binder she had dropped, and steadying her as they made their way into the meeting.

Pritzker looked shaken but was unhurt.

The India-US Strategic Dialogue was upgraded to Strategic and Commercial Dialogue last year at the initiative of Modi and US President Barack Obama.