As US President Donald Trump's Indian fans go, they don’t come bigger than this. Bussa Krishna is at first glance like any other farmer from a village in Telangana’s Jangaon district. But what sets him apart is the fact that for this 31-year farmer from Konne village, Trump is, practically, god. Krishna literally worships Trump every day in his puja room, which is adorned by a photograph of the US president, according to a report in the Hindustan Times. The US president finds his place in the puja room along with several other gods of the Hindu pantheon. 

Dutifully, flowers, turmeric, and vermillion are offered to all the gods, Trump included. Trump’s photograph is also honoured with an aarti. So what made a farmer in south India so fond of Trump?

In Krishna’s own words, it was the murder of Telangana techie Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was killed in an alleged hate crime in February 2017.

Krishna told HT that he was deeply pained by Kuchibhotla’s death, and decided to take the spiritual route to reach out to the American people in general and Trump in particular. 

“I thought the only way the US president and his people could understand the greatness of Indians is to display our love and affection towards them,” Krishna told the daily, adding that he hoped the prayers would one day reach the object of his affection.

Clearly a firm believer in the power of prayers, the humble farmer stresses that Indians can win anyone’s heart with “love and worship”.