India’s new prime minister Narendra Modi appeared before a gathering of more than 18,000 mostly Indian Americans at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday. Before the enthusiastic crowd, he appealed for help to develop his country’s economy, vowing that under his leadership, the South Asian nation wouldn’t look back.
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A dazzling, Bollywood-style show with dancers warmed up the crowd before Mr Modi appeared. Lucas Jackson / Reuters -
Mr Modi vowed to fight corruption and champion India’s legions of poor whom he said wanted to participate in the nation’s progress. Lucas Jackson / Reuters -
He also touted India’s promise as a tech giant, joking that it’s no longer known as a nation of ‘snake charmers’. Lucas Jackson / Reuters -
He struck a chord by announcing plans to simplify the immigration bureaucracy for Indians living abroad, and called on them to ‘join hands to serve our mother India’. Jason DeCrow / AP Photo -
Hundreds also gathered to watch a live feed of the speech in New York’s Times Square. Julie Jacobson / AP Photo -
Some were holding Indian flags and sporting Modi t-shirts. Julie Jacobson / AP Photo -
Members of the Indian-American community were gathered in Times Square to watch a live broadcast of Mr Modi’s speech. Carlo Allegri / Reuters -
Mr Modi is no stranger to a big stage - backed by huge corporate wealth, he was the centre of the slickest election campaign India has seen. Julie Jacobson / AP Photo -
At both venues, Indian-Americans likened the enthusiasm over Modi’s meteoric rise to that surrounding Obama, who captured America’s imagination when he won the 2008 presidential election. Lucas Jackson / Reuters -
The event at Madison Square Garden is a sign of his appeal not just at home but also among the 2.8 million Indian-Americans - one of the wealthiest diaspora communities in the US. Jason DeCrow / AP Photo
In pictures: India’s Modi wows the crowds at Madison Square Garden
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