Prime Minister Narendra Modi spotlighted India’s unity at the mega event in Houston, attended by US President Donald Trump and scores of US lawmakers, on Sunday.
Some 50,000 Indian-Americans were said to be in attendance in an unprecedented welcome to a foreign leader on American soil.
PM Modi began his talk inside the NRG Stadium, home of the Houston Texans football team, with a loud, “Howdy my friends!”
Drawing attention to the event tagline, ‘Howdy, Modi’, PM said if the same expression was put to him, his answer would be “everything is great in India”.
‘Howdy’ is used as an informal and friendly greeting. It is used widely and commonly in Texas and other south-western states of the US.
The PM then went on to translate the words in various Indian languages, and in each expression he underscored the message of unity and wellness.
At the end of it, the PM assured his American friends and audience that all he said meant “everything is fine.”
Modi, in his address delivered in Hindi, said that he was “impatient to take the country to new heights”. He added that today the “buzz word in India is development”.
Enthusiastic supporters dressed in everything from ornate saris to simple dhotis and even a few cowboy hats, and even Modi masks waved American and Indian flags, chanted “Modi! Modi!”.
Houston is a rare Democratic stronghold in Republican-dominated Texas and serves as the economic anchor of a state that will be critical to Trump’s 2020 re-election bid. Polls show tepid support by Indian-American voters, some 75% of whom voted for his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, in 2016.
The “Howdy, Modi!” event that was kicked off with a 90-minute cultural program featuring 400 costumed dancers, were delighted to welcome Trump.
Modi’s visit to Houston comes ahead of this week’s UN General Assembly in New York and amid a particularly tense time on the subcontinent.
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