After the marvelous welcome he received at the Madison Square Garden in Addressing a 20,000-strong crowd at the Allphones Arena, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke for nearly an hour-and-half, striking chords with all right notes and had the crowd cheering him for more.
His visit, which was a maiden one for him after he became the Prime Minister in May this year, was also a first visit by any Indian Prime Minister in the last 28 years. In his trademark speech, which was laced with emotional quotes, he promised: Indians living in Australia need not wait for so long to be visited by their Indian premiers.
The rockstar welcome he received was no less than the Madison Square Garden one. Here too, Modi’s speech had the larger-than-life impact, complete with showmanship on a stage lit with psychedelic lights.
His body language was astoundingly commanding and humble at the same time. While he started his speech in English, he was egged on by supporters to switch over to Hindi. And he conceded to it, topped with a generous dollop of a charming smile!
Attributing this welcome to the 1.25 billion people in India, Modi said he was just their representative and truly, not the sole owner of this gesture.
Remembering Swami Vivekananda on the occasion, Modi quoted the ‘sanyasi’ who had given a clarion call a good five decades before independence that the Indians needed to focus on the country and worship ‘Bharat Mata’ over numerous gods and goddesses they could have believed in.
Being a person who was born few years into independence, Modi said many like him were fortunate to be born in a free India. But, it also meant some patriots didn’t get to take part in the freedom movement. “Not everybody had the good fortune of fighting for the country and laying down their lives for the nation. Yes, we couldn’t die for the country. But, we can at least live to serve our motherland!” he said, eliciting thunderous applauses from the spectators.
Stressing on the need for strengthened partnerships between Australia and India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said both countries have equal passion divested in sports and politics. “Both are cricket-obsessed and both nations are democracies. History and culture have fostered this strong relationship between the two countries,” he observed.
Striking an emotional note that could go a long way, Modi said: “Indian-origin sportsperson Bakthawar Singh represented Australia.
Speaking of his dreams for a poor man, and also those who aspired to see their country rise, Modi touched the crowd exactly where it mattered. “This year, every Indian living either in India or abroad was curious to know about the outcome of the election. This is not about Modi, but about the country they have been waiting to see it rise from the rubbles. A rich man and a poor man, both want to see the country achieve a better status in this world,” he added.
He said he had very small deeds to carry out. “I want to see the last man in the country arrive at a bank and access whatever financial freedom the country can provide him with. So, I started Jan Dhan Yojana, though financial experts said it may take three years to completely implement it. We either do it today or never – I told them. And, listen to a Prime Minister, they did!” he revealed. While India had managed to open 10 million bank accounts every year through six decades of independence, with Jan Dhan Yojana, a whopping 71 million bank accounts were opened in a matter of 10 weeks!
The message went down very well with the crowd, which continued to cheer him on. The ‘Modi’ they had come to see was a ‘doer’ and not someone who only ‘hoped’ to see things happen. The stupendous response not only came from people of all age groups, but a considerable number of Australians too, who had come to witness the Modi Magic.
His message on cleaner India had some effect on the young turks in Australia, whom Modi promised a great ‘work’ atmosphere should they come to work in India. With the policy changes he is trying to bring, he said, it should be a matter of time before India is a destination for new economy.