Sydney: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “The Boss”, Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday at a grand community event in Sydney for the Indian diaspora.
At a special community event held at the Sydney Qudos Bank Arena, Albanese compared PM Modi’s mass appeal with that of the famed rockstar Bruce Springsteen, who incidentally is famed among his fans as “The Boss”.
Witnessing the rousing welcome that PM Modi got from the crowd at the Sydney stadium who chanted “Bharat Mata ki Jai”, “Vande Mataram” and “Modi, Modi,” Albanese said that his popularity is more than American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen.
“The last time I saw someone on this stage was Bruce Springsteen and he did not get the welcome that Prime Minister Modi has got. Prime Minister Modi is The Boss,” said Albanese.
The Australian PM recalled his India visit earlier this year and how he backpacked to India in 1991, saying, “If you want to understand India..travel by train and bus.”
“When I was in India in March, it was a trip full of unforgettable moments, celebrating Holi in Gujarat, laying a wreath for Mahatma Gandhi in Delhi... Everywhere I went, I felt a deep connection between the people of Australia and India. If you want to understand India, travel by train and bus,” said Albanese.
He further stated that it was his great pleasure to welcome Prime Minister Modi to Australia.
“My first year as Prime Minister is what I am celebrating today. I have met my friend PM six times but there is nothing better than standing on stage with him like this, it is a pleasure to welcome PM Modi here. But I must say that the warmth and energy that is here tonight is second to none,” said Albanese.
Addressing the massive crowd of the Indian diaspora in Sydney on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that mutual trust and respect are the elements that bind India and Australia ties.
Modi said: “No matter what the geographical distances are between India and Australia, the Indian Ocean connects us. No matter how different lifestyles are in both countries, yoga connects us! Cricket is something which has kept us connected for ages... and now tennis and movies form other connecting bridges.
“There was a time when ‘3Cs’ were used to define relations between India and Australia -- Commonwealth, Cricket and Curry. After that, it was ‘3Ds’ -- Democracy, Diaspora and Dosti (friendship). Now it has become ‘3Es’ -- Energy, Economy and Education.
“But the truth is that the actual depth of the relations between India and Australia transcends these C, D, E... The strongest and biggest foundations of this relation actually are mutual trust and mutual respect, and the real reason behind this is Indian diaspora.”
Modi said he has kept his promise that the Indians in Australia will not have to wait for another 28 years to see their Prime Minister.
“Last time when I came here, I gave you all a promise. And that promise was that you won’t have to wait for India’s Prime Minister for a long 28 years, again. And see, I am here! Prime Minister Albanese is also with me, here,” he said.
Remembering the late Austrlian bowling great Shane Warne, said: “We are not only partners in happiness but also share our grief. The entire India grieved at the passing away of Shane Warne.”
The Prime Minister also highlighted that how India in the last nine years has made great strides.
“We have opened around 500 million bank accounts for the poor people. Not only this, actually the whole eco-system of public delivery has been transformed in India. An amount worth over Rs 28 lakh crore have been directly transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries, since 2014.
“The JAM Trinity and DBT have brought a revolution in the country. IMF considers India the ‘Bright Spot’ of global economy. According to World Bank, if there’s any country which is withstanding global headwinds, it is India. India has made record exports even in the most challenging times,” he added.
Earlier, members of the Indian diaspora expressed their excitement at attending the event. Modi is visiting Australia for the first time in nine years. He has last visited the country in 2014.
Plane traces ‘Welcome Modi’ message
Earler, ‘Welcome Modi’ spelt by a recreational aircraft’s contrails posed a mesmerising sight in the clear blue sky over Sydney.
A video of the skywriting has since then gone viral on social media.
Thousands of expatriate Indians have gathered at the country’s largest entertainment and sporting arena in Sydney to welcome Modi.
Shashi Prabha who had arrived to attend the event said “All of us are excited for PM Modi to arrive. That is the most important thing for us at the moment.”
Among those who had gathered to greet PM Modi included 91-year-old Dr Navamani Chandra Bose who journeyed from Melbourne to meet the Indian prime minister in Sydney, according to The Australia Today.
She was full of energy and passion and very happy to travel by “Modi Airways.” “Very happy today and it’s going to be a great event,” said the nonagenarian who arrived by the ‘Modi Airways,’ a special charted flight that took off from Melbourne Tullamarine Airport.
The plane full of Indians from across Australia arrived on Tuesday morning for the diaspora event. Visuals from Melbourne Airport tweeted on the Indian Australian Diaspora Foundation, which is organising the event in Sydney showed passengers waving the tricolour and dancing.
According to a report in The Australia Today, 177 people had booked to be part of the special “Modi Airways” flight from Melbourne to Sydney.
Among the passengers on the flight was 91-year-old Navamani Chandra Bose. She was accompanied by her daughter who said that Dr Navamani is the wife of NS Chandra Bose who was the President of the Indian Medical Association from 1991 to 1992 and had served as the President of the Tamil Nadu State Bharatiya Janata Party from 1995 to 1997.
“I’m the daughter and this is the wife of Dr Chandra Bose who was the state President of Tamil Nadu’s BJP from 1995-1997,” she said.
It is an incredible honour: Guy Sebastian
Famous Australian singer Guy Theodore Sebastian was delighted to meet Modi on Tuesday and said that it was an honour to meet him and shared that they both talked about his mother, who is from Kanpur and also discussed other topics.
Sharing his experience of meeting PM Modi, Sebastian said, “It is an incredible honour to meet his excellency. We talked about a whole bunch of things. He was so warm and kind and listened to everything with such respect. We talked about music and he showed me a song which has gone viral, called ‘Naatu Naatu’. So, it’s something that I am going to go and learn. We talked about my mother who is from Kanpur.”
Guy Theodore Sebastian, was the winner of the ‘Australian Idol’ in 2003 and his debut single, ‘Angels Brought Me Here’ received a lot of positive responses and was among the highest-selling song in the country from 2000 to 2009.
