Our Bureau
New York, NY
The much-anticipated community event in New York, which saw the participation of thousands of Indian Americans, concluded with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address where he lauded the contributions of the Indian community overseas.
Stating that India aims to increase its global impact and not pressure, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India doesn’t want its supremacy, but instead wants to increase its cooperation in the prosperity of the world.
In a metaphorical reference, Prime Minister Modi said, “Hum aag ki tarah jalaane waale nahin, Suraj ki kiran ki tarah roshani dene waale hain (We are not those who burn like fire, but those who enlighten like the sun).
Further in his address, PM Modi also announced plans to open a Thiruvalluvar Chair of Tamil studies in the University of Houston.
“India is now the land of opportunities. It doesn’t wait for opportunities anymore, it creates opportunities. In the last 10 years, India has created launching pads of opportunities in every sector,” PM Modi told a huge gathering of Indian diaspora in New York.
He announced that India has decided to open two new Consulates in Boston and Los Angeles in the US, forging stronger ties between the two countries, going forward.
“The partnership between America and India is growing stronger. Our partnership is aimed at global good, and we are increasing cooperation in every sector. We have taken your convenience into consideration,” PM Modi said.
“Last year, I announced the opening of a new Indian consulate in Seattle. We requested your suggestions for two additional consulates. India has decided to open two new consulates in Boston and Los Angeles,” he added.
He also coined an abbreviation ‘PUSHP’ showcasing the five petals of Viksit Bharat namely: Progressive, Unstoppable, Spiritual, Humanity, Prosperous.
“You may remember this word ‘Pushp’ which means flower, I define it as ‘P’ for progressive Bharat, ‘U’ for unstoppable Bharat, ‘S’ for spiritual Bharat, ‘H’ for humanity first which India has dedicated itself to and ‘P’ for prosperous India…All five petals of ‘Pushp’ or the flower which will make Viksit Bharat,” the Prime Minister said.
PM Modi also highlighted the growing stature of India at the global platform and said that “the world listens when India speaks.”
“We are also a strong voice of the Global South. Today, when India says something on a global platform, the world listens. Some time ago when I said that this is not the era of war, its severity was understood by all,” he stated.
“Today, India emerges as the first responder to any disaster in the world. During Covid, we sent vaccines and medicines to more than 150 nations,” PM Modi added.
He said that for India, power and potency means – “knowledge is for sharing, wealth is for caring, power is for protecting.”
Diaspora members termed PM Modi’s New York community event successful and full of energy and vibrancy.
