The much awaited event of the year took place on Friday 13th November 2015 with great enthusiasm. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, was given a rockstar reception of his first visit to the UK after being designated as the Indian Prime Minister. A full-house of 60,000 spectators attended this once in a lifetime event at Wembley Stadium, London, braving the cold weather to support the much loved Narendra Modi.
An outstanding list of performance dazzled the audience with their remarkable presence and performances. The likes of Baby Doll fame, Kanika Kapoor; the charming Navin Kundra; the eternal enigma who made everyone feel nostalgic and proud with her rendition of “Made in India”, Alisha Chinai; to our own home-grown British-Asian powerhouse talent, Jay Sean, who proudly declared his real name, Kamaljeet Singh Jhooti; plus many more of such talents entertained the massive crowd.
Chants of “Modi-Modi” and “Bharat Mata ki Jai” could be heard from throughout the stadium, encouraging one and all to participate and explicitly show their patriotism with pride. The crowd stood respectfully when it was time to sing the British and Indian anthems; Kanika Kapoor did the honours of leading the Indian anthem.
The event was a great amalgamation of East meets West; not only just about PM Modi visiting the west, but of those of South Asian ethnicity living in Britain who are still rooted and are culturally and ethnically intact.
It will not be farfetched to state that not only were the general public of South Asian ethnicity excited about PM Modi's visit, even dignitaries from many influential industries and backgrounds were equally enthralled by the idea of his visit. There were over 1,000 volunteers who were instrumental in making this remarkable landmark event successful, with their hard work ensuring that the reception is smooth-sailing.
This much anticipated and popular event even had an English ticket tout selling tickets for £50 in the cold weather. Some people bought tickets from him, even though the tickets were originally distributed free to fans.
Prior to Narendra Modi's visit to Wembley Stadium, the Employment Minister and the Prime Minister's Indian Diaspora Champion, Priti Patel said, “We will ensure that Prime Minister Modi’s visit will elevate our relationship [UK-India relationship] to the next level and ensure that our partnership continues to flourish. I know that together we will celebrate his visit and show him an unforgettable welcome to the United Kingdom.”
Prime Minister David Cameron, who played the perfect host to PM Modi, also released a pre-prepared video on YouTube of prominent Indians in the UK, saying “welcome” to Narendra Modi. One of the businessmen featured in the video was India's Honorary Consul to Wales, Raj Aggarwal. He said, “It was a great privilege to be asked by David Cameron to be part of the welcome video for Mr Modi, and I was invited down to Number 10 this week to meet Mr Modi and Mr Cameron in person. There was also a couple of events at the House of Commons which I attended, which were a fantastic opportunity to build even better relations between the two countries.”
Prime Minister Modi arrived in the UK on 12th November for his 3-day visit. What stands out is the fact that he was visiting the UK after 12 years, after having his name cleared from amidst all the controversies in which his name was dragged in, during his time as the Chief Minister of Gujarat.
One of the engagements of PM Modi in the UK was a round table of British and Indian Business leaders in Downing Street, in which he participated in. The UK and India successfully sealed £9 billion worth of commercial deals in education, retail, finance, logistics, IT, energy and health sectors, which No 10 stated that had safeguarded or create about 1,900 jobs.
He was also received at Buckingham Palace, where he had lunch with Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. During his visit at Buckingham Palace, he was shown a collection of items from the palace's stores, which included a shawl gifted by Mahatma Gandhi to the Queen, in 1947, as a wedding gift.
Many pleasantries and gifts were exchanged. PM Modi presented Her Majesty with photograph of her visit to India in the year 1961, as well as a gift box which included silk Tanchoi scarves from his parliamentary constituency of Varanasi, as well as Darjeeling tea from West Bengal. In return, the Queen presented Modi with a silver dish and signed photographs.
Other engagements included visiting Mahatma Gandhi's statue at Parliament Square; visiting the Jaguar Land Rover Factory; as well as unveiling the statue of the 12th century Indian philosopher, Basaveshwara, on the bank of river Thames, London Borough of Lambeth.
The grand “UKWelcomes Modi” event at Wembley Stadium, had more than 450 UK-based Indian organisations, who collaborated to host this successful event reception; it was organised by the Europe- India Forum, headed by entrepreneur, Nathu Puri.
Addressing the 60,000 attendees at the Wembley Stadium, Prime Minister David Cameron said, “It is truly a historical moment and yes, it is the most spectacular celebration of British-India relations our country has ever seen. Let's think for a moment of what it means... what British Indians mean to Britain and to me. Over one and a half million people, you are teaching in our schools, policing our streets, starting up our businesses, serving in our arm forces; in return, displaying those values you hold dear. Family, responsibility, enterprise, hard work- these are the values that our country needs more of.”
Deeply and earnestly touched by the response to his arrival in Britain, Narendra Modi stated at Wembley Stadium, “This is a historic day for a great partnership, and you [the spectators] are the heartbeat. Between two nations, two vibrant democracies, two wonderful people, we are celebrating this very special relationship in this very special venue... Your wonderful and warm welcome makes me feel at home. I'm grateful to Prime Minister Cameron, for his kind words. Thanks to everybody.”
PM Modi spoke on many issues regarding India, in terms of poverty, on the blooming economy. He also pledged to sort out the OCI visa issues for the UK diaspora, simplifying the OCI and PIO norms. He has launched the “Madad” (help) portal where people can official make their complaints regarding issues, such as OCI. He also stressed upon clean energy and its important, as well as mentioning how he, and Indians, want India to be a hub for solar energy.
There has also been the ongoing fight to get direct flights from London to Ahmedabad, Gujarat, sanctioned. It looks like many people's hard work, and in some cases prayers, have paid off. PM Modi declared that from 15th December 2015, direct flights from London to Ahmedabad will be made available, which made the audience cheer in excitement and contentment. He gave a special mention to CB Patel, Publisher/Editor of Asian Voice/Gujarat Samachar, for channelising and leading this petition.
While cheering and joyful chants were going on inside the stadium, there were other chants going on in the exterior. Some people gathered outside the venue to show their displeasure about Modi's visit to the UK. There were two groups protesting for a free Kashmir, and to make Punjabi a free nation, Khalistan. Many people have allegedly blamed Modi for the religious conflicts which have been taking place in India. Recently, the holy Sikh scriptures, the Guru Granth Sahib was desecrated in India, infuriating the Sikh community, especially in the UK, who decided to make this year a “Black Diwali”; purposely choosing not to celebrate Diwali this year due to the appalling attack.
Many police officers were seen patrolling outside the stadium, ensuring that the protests remains peaceful and does not disrupt anyone or cause any friction or danger amongst those who were at the scene.
Post the spectacular event at Wembley Stadium, Priti Patel stated, “This visit showcased the world’s oldest democracy alongside the world’s largest democracy. The UK and India already share a deep partnership based on shared values and as we all saw on Friday evening - the exceptional people-to people links. What stood out for me throughout the duration of this visit was the natural affinity between our two countries, rooted in 1.5 million strong Indian diaspora in Britain that have contributed so richly to British life, success and identity. Our people-to-people ties, between British Indians and Indians have been strengthened as a result of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the U.K. Ours is also a natural partnership for a mutually shared prosperity.”
Many may like him, some may not, but we can definitely not ignore the power and aura that Modi has globally. It is an unthinkable concept to have a Prime Minister receiving such a grand welcoming where people from all regions came, bearing the cold weather, just to get a glimpse of this person. 70,000 people is not a mere figure; indeed, it is remarkable and historical in many ways. This is enough to prove that Modi's vision for a better India seconds the thoughts of the majority, be it in India or the UK.
The video of PM Modi's speech on direct flights from London to Ahmedabad is available on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gRMyrzihAM&start=4039&end=4250
