New York: The Indians who draw crowds of adoring fans are usually tall and sultry, with washboard abs and elaborate outfits, Bollywood stars such as Shah Rukh Khan — described by some as the Brad Pitt of India — or Priyanka Chopra, the bombshell actress, singer and model.
But this time it is a teetotaller and bachelor who has boasted of his 60 centimetre chest and wears a simple cotton shirt.
Narendra Modi, India’s new prime minister, received a rally fit for a rock star at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night. His rags-to-riches story mirrors the rise of Gujarat, the Indian state that he governed and that gave him and his Bharatiya Janata Party a landslide victory in India’s general election in May. His new profile has also allowed him to return to the United States for the first time in more than two decades; the State Department had revoked his visa in 2005 over his alleged role in deadly religious riots in Gujarat three years earlier.
For Modi and his supporters, the visit, which includes a speech before the United Nations General Assembly and a meeting with President Obama, is also a moment to connect with members of the broad Indian diaspora in the US, many of whom watched with embarrassment from afar as India’s economic engine sputtered and corruption scandals plagued Modi’s rivals in the Indian National Congress party, which has governed India for most of its postcolonial history.
“Prime Minister Modi’s message will be refreshing — what role Indian-Americans can play promoting a relationship between two great stories,” said Dr Bharat Barai, a longtime friend of Modi’s who helped arrange his visit.
Many Indians in the US see Modi as India’s saviour: a strong leader who has pledged to cut through red tape, stamp out corruption, revive India’s economy and restore pride.
Of the more than 1,700 Indians living in the US who responded to a New York Times questionnaire, a majority expressed excitement and hope about Modi’s visit, saying they expected him to resurrect the narrative of India as a rising global power and strengthen relations between the two countries.
“Modi’s trip will jump-start the process of restoring respect and admiration for Indian civilisation,” wrote one respondent, Sant Gupta, 66, of Virginia.
Tapping into a level of interest they never expected, Barai and the group organising the Dh5 million event, the Indian American Community Foundation, have mobilised more than 400 organisations and individuals. Bollywood stars offered their talents, but organisers wanted to keep the focus on Indian-Americans.
The hosts will be last year’s Miss America winner, Nina Davuluri, and a PBS anchor, Hari Sreenivasan. Anjali Ranadive, the daughter of Vivek Ranadive, owner of the Sacramento Kings basketball team, will sing the American national anthem, while L. Subramaniam, a violinist, and Kavita Krishnamurthy, a classical singer, will perform the Indian anthem.
The prime minister’s office told Barai and the other organisers, “Just don’t have a Bollywood night there.”
The event will include an acrobatic and laser show, a speed-painted portrait of Modi and a hologram re-creating the seminal speech of Modi’s guru, Swami Vivekananda, who became the ambassador of Hinduism to the US when he spoke at the World’s Parliament of Religions in 1893. Modi was honouring him when he visited the US in 1993, and Barai recalled how embarrassed Modi was by his meagre possessions during that visit. “I know you only do laundry in America once a week,” Modi said. “But I only have two pairs of clothes.” Now, his shirts are a fashion symbol.
It’s also milestone for us as a community,” said Anand Shah, a spokesman for the organisers.
Only about half of the 30,000 people who applied for free tickets will get to see Modi. Free lunches will be provided around the corner for guests, though Modi himself will be observing a nine-day religious fast. A majority of those attending are from the North-east.
“I am die-hard fan of Narendra Modiji and have been following him since last 12 years,” a software engineer from Atlanta wrote in an email to Barai. He said he had bought a plane ticket to New York before learning that he had not got a ticket to the Modi event.
Had Modi not been elected, it is unlikely that he would be able to even set foot in America. Many Western countries besides the United States revoked his visas over his handling of the 2002 Hindu-Muslim riots, which left more than 1,000 people dead, most of them Muslims. A United States federal court issued a summons on Thursday in a lawsuit over the riots, but it is not likely to affect Modi’s visit, as he enjoys immunity as a head of state.
Modi, a Hindu nationalist, has been a divisive figure in India, and although he has not made inflammatory statements since his election, some respondents raised concerns about his religious tolerance.
Zahir Janmohammad, who was among those who worked to deny Modi a visa, said, “Questions about Modi’s failure to protect his own citizens are still relevant.”
And Kayhan Irank of Jackson Heights, Queens, said Modi’s ascendance “definitely strains my relationships with some elders and relatives who are less interested in justice for those who were killed and displaced over the facade of India as a major economic player.”
