Prime Minster Narendra Modi addresses a crowd of 17,000 people at the Allphones Arena Olympic Park in Sydney Monday Nov 17,2014

 

Narendra Modi stormed Sydney’s Allphones Arena on Monday, driving a packed audience of 17,000 people into delirium. 

NRIs, who had to wait for 28 years for the visit of an Indian prime minister - the last was by Rajiv Gandhi - were choking with emotion as Prime Minister Modi delivered a stirring speech in which he promised to turn India into a ‘Vishva Guru’ once again. 

In an address that was funny and charged with emotion, Modi tugged at the hearts of members of the Indian community, who cheered as he said: “We did not have the fortune to fight for the country’s Independence. We could not die for India. But we can live for India. So we will live and struggle for India. Today, 125 crore Indians share the dream of turning India into a world leader.”

Narendra Modi was treated to a traditional welcome by Australia's aboriginal dancers, who gave him a boomerang as a gift

There were food stalls from different parts of India and dance performances ranging from bhangra to gidda, and kathak to kuchupudi even as hundreds of people stood in long queues to get hold of a ‘Narendra Modi Down Under’ t-shirt. 

Members of the Indian community had flown in from as far as Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane to listen to the Indian prime minister. 

There was also a group of over 200 people who had come on board the special Modi Express train, singing and dancing to patriotic songs as the train made its way from Melbourne to Sydney. 

Narendra Modi won the crowd when he said: “It only takes an overnight flight to fly from India to Australia but it took 28 years for an Indian prime minister to make the journey. Now, you will not have to wait (another) 28 years.” 

He also stressed the Clean India campaign, saying that more tourists would come if the country was cleaner, and sought the Indian diaspora’s support. 

“I request you to contribute. God has given you so much,” Modi said, asking the NRIs to help develop their native villages by doing “small things” like building toilets and ensuring cleanliness. 

Modi also announced that his government was working to facilitate visas on arrival for Australian tourists, and said the Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) status will be merged ahead of the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (January 7-9) in Ahmedabad.