NEW DELHI: While the legendary camaraderie of George Bush and Manmohan Singh took time to develop, Narendra Modi and Barack Obama have acquired close chemistry in just a few meetings.The new bond was on display at Myanmar where the US President accepted the invite from the PM to visit India for the Republic Day next January. Years ago Manmohan Singh had earned bad press for his statement: Mr President, India Loves You.While such an adulation from Modi may still be a long way away, officials who were present at Myanmar told ET that they were surprised by the chemistry that the PM and US President have developed within such a short span of time.It was the second occasion when the two leaders were meeting, first being Modi’s US visit in September. “We were surprised by this closeness,” an official remarked. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Myanmar when Obama accepted Modi’s invite to be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day celebrations.The idea was first mooted when Modi visited the White House for talks in September. The invite was followed up at a rapid pace, official sources indicated. Diplomatic channels were used to send the invite formally as well as receive the acceptance, sources said, adding, it is rare that a US Presidential visit is conceived and executed within four months.In 2010, Obama’s maiden visit to India was planned well in advance. US Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal is arriving in Delhi tomorrow to prepare for the visit. Curiously, the US Embassy in India was not involved in the initial process to invite Obama, sources revealed. US Ambassador to India S Jaishankar, an old American hand, however, played a key role in the decision to invite Obama from the outset.“He has earned PM’s confidence through his professional approach,” an official said speaking on the strict anonymity. Sources recalled that the first sign of growing chemistry was visible when Obama and Modi travelled together in the same car to the Lincoln memorial last September. Obama walked with Modi at the memorial in an unscheduled plan.