New Delhi: The land which has tens of songs coined after; the streets that are flamboyant, screaming of making ones dreams come true, is the place where India’s Prime Minister is preparing to make his west debut.
The man who was once denied a visa to the US is now going to speak to thousands at the Madison square garden. The arena which has held shows from musical greats such as Elvis Presley, Elton John, to Michael Jackson and U2.
It is a musician’s dream to perform at the Garden, let alone sell out, and for Narendra Modi – a politician, that too foreign – this will be another feat. Sunday’s gig is forecast to draw in more than 18,000 people, while thousands are expected to stand at the iconic New York Times Square to watch his address in Hindi.
A man who was once selling tea, now leading the largest democracy will make his presence felt to the country which has in the past played toss with its relations with India. And the eager Indian diaspora have left no stone unturned for the very significant event.
If reports are to be believed then the well to do diaspora were able to raise over a million or to be precise $1.6 million within just days.
While some of the organisers contributed their own money to book the venue, later a website was created where contributions were made from $5 and $10 to $5,000.
The event will be emceed by prominent members of the Indian American community, Nina Davuluri, who has just relinquished her crown as Miss America 2014, and newscaster Hari Sreenivasan.
Billionaire Vivek Ranadive’s daughter Anjali will sing the US national anthem, while playback singer Kavita Krishnamurthy will in all likelihood sing the Indian anthem. Violin maestro L Shankar will perform, to become only the second Indian-origin musician to perform at the venue, after Ravi Shankar’s iconic concert for Bangladesh in July, 1971.
Modi is scheduled to leave for the US on September 25. On his itinerary is the address to UN General Assembly, bilateral meetings with some heads of state and visit to Ground Zero, the 9/11 memorial, and the Central Park for the Global Citizen Festival.
Modi may also attend a meeting of G-4 countries. He will then reach Washington DC on September 29 for the much awaited meet with US President Barack Obama followed by a delegation-level meeting the next day with the President.
Photo credit: Narendra Modi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode