Now we know Modi ji’s secret of fighting jet lag – thanks to PTI, with help from HT and TOI

Last evening, Hindustan Times took its North-Korean media game up as it tweeted out a report elaborating on PM Modi’s ‘secrets to keep jet lag at bay’.

Seriously, this was a bylined report based on inputs by the Press Trust of India (PTI). Sample some of the source-based nuggets it presents: “PM Modi also drinks a lot of water as doctors suggest that the air in the plane sucks out moisture in the body, sources told PTI.”

Not to be left behind, The Times of India today carried the same PTI article, which cited “sources” to tell us how PM Modi “maintains a busy schedule to beat fatigue during foreign trips”. TOI thought it fit to publish this news as a lead story no less on its nation pages.

The article also helpfully told us how Modi saved money and time on his US trips in the 1990s by buying monthly passes of an airline on “heavily-discounted” rates and travelling in the night, not “spending a single penny” on hotels.

The prime minister also has the magical ability to beat jet lag, according to sources. “As soon as he steps on the flight, the Prime Minister tunes his body and sleep cycle to the time zone of the destination, noting that if this means even if it is night in India when he takes off, he may not sleep if it would be day in the country of destination.”

A report with the same headline was also published on The Hindu’s website, but the headline and contents were later updated to talk about the number of meetings the prime minister managed to clock in the 65 hours he had in the US.

Meanwhile, The Indian Express carried a picture of Modi’s welcome back home. Mercifully, the only tidbit they took from the PTI story was the number of meetings the PM managed to attend during his trip.