Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a shrewd man. Like Bollywood producers, he understands the value of foreign locales in his political shows and the importance of the NRI market in politics. In the age of 'asked to bend, ready to crawl' wall-to-wall coverage, a political rally beamed live from a moffusil town of Bihar is unlikely to generate the same level of hysteria and interest as a speech that is cheered on by thousands of expats in Sydney or New York.
The official website of the Allphones Arena in Sydney labels it the largest indoor sports and entertainment arena in Australia.
In the last week, more than 20,000 people paid hundreds of dollars to listen to Mick Jagger at the venue; next week many more are expected to pay a little more to jive with Katie Perry. One of the fans outside whined on TV that organizers of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Sydney gig made a big mistake in selecting Allphones as the venue, which could accommodate just 16,000 hysterical fans. They should have instead selected the Sydney Cricket Ground and fans of Modi's would have filled it up-and not just because the entry and pre-speech entertainment were free.
But the PR value of such an event is, of course, priceless. An NRI in a Saville Row suit screaming 'Modi, Modi' is a much better brand ambassador than adehati in a dhoti doing the same.
Being endorsed by an NRI, that too in a developed country like the United States or Australia, counts for more. An Indian-American or an Indian-Australian is seen as occupying the next step on the ladder of success by sheer dint of his successful migration from India. When children of these 'successful' Indians root for Modi in their westernized Hindi and accented English, it helps reinforce Modi's image as the poster boy of India Rising.
Modi understands that the expat community is eager to assert its identity in the countries they have adopted as home. It needs him as a symbol of their new-found muscle, and will therefore throng to his overseas shows.
Just before his visit to MSG, the New York Times had quoted an enthusiastic fan to highlight why Modi's visit was eagerly awaited: "Modi's upcoming trip brings a ray of hope for American Indians like me who face a conflicting reality of being part of one of the most successful and prosperous communities in the United States, and yet we carry the legacy of a poor third-world country and face biases in our adopted homeland. Modi brings hope of change in India which will help Indians have better self-esteem and image in the United States.”
Modi has perfected a template to tap this sentiment. His ad-libbed speeches, which are part rhetoric, half sermon with a dash of economic philosophy, repeat certain words and phrases: Bharat, garv, gaurav, dreams of ujjawal bhavishya for Bharat Mata. These are the themes, he knows, that resonate with NRIs eager to be respected for their achievements and background.
Then he reels outs his path-breaking ideas and efforts to create an India they can be proud of, arguing that their beloved Bharat Mata was hobbled not because its people lacked honesty or ability but because she lacked the right leadership -- a situation rectified, of course, by his ascension.
In Sydney, for instance, in his usual hour-long speech, Modi argued how he had connected most of rural India to the banking system in just a few days, even though the system, the people, the babus and officers were the same. He went on to talk about the success of his 'clean India' mission, his vision for the large network of Indian Railways and so on.
And finally, he signed off with a heart-felt appeal to his audience, asking them to become part of the India story.
Australia is among the top 10 business partners of India with investments of almost $12 billion. There are nearly 3,00,000 Indians in Australia, most of them successful entrepreneurs and members of influential pressure groups. Modi knows that to fulfill his promise of 'achche din', he needs them to invest much more in India. Nobody can say if that will happen soon, in the distant future or not at all.
But you can at least credit him for trying.
Whatever doubts there may have remained about Modi's stature as the greatest Indian performer of his age in the wake of Madison Square Garden were dispelled by Sydney extravaganza.
Never mind the long and tacky prelude to his speech, poorly choreographed dance sequences, off-key singing and the Ramleela-esque feel to the entire show. The 16,000 Australia-Indians at the arena and the many, many others watching at home will go to bed impressed with Modi's now larger-than-life persona.
That is surely worth as much -- if not more -- than a big NRI cheque
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