Modi celebrates ‘Indianness’ of raucous Melbourne crowd
A raucous crowd of thousands welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Australia, and the long-time leader whipped the crowd into excited cheers.
The spirit of India is alive across Melbourne, Mr Modi told 30,000 attendees, mostly from the Indian diaspora, at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium on Thursday night.
“The Indianness within you has always existed and has been kept alive,” he said.
Mr Modi noted that community markets in Melbourne and Australia were alive with the color and spirit of India.
“We Indians are like that; just like when sugar is added to milk, it becomes sweeter,” he said.
“The milk is sourced from Australia, but the tea is made the Indian way.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also attended the event, welcoming Mr Modi as “a very close friend”.
Mr Albanese also thanked the mostly Indian diaspora crowd, saying nearly one million Australians can trace their roots back to India.
“Australians of all backgrounds have been enriched by you bringing your culture here and incorporating it into our multicultural character,” he said.
Mr. Albanese told the crowd that he spent six weeks backpacking in India in 1991, where he experienced the generosity and warmth of its people.
“I learned something very simple and clear there… If you want to understand India, take the train,” he said.
Ranjai Raghu, who moved to Australia from India about 20 years ago, said he felt that views of Mr Modi in the diaspora were mostly positive, comparing the atmosphere in the stadium during Mr Modi’s visit to a cricket match.
“There has been a huge change in India and India’s relations with other countries during his tenure,” he told AAP.
“We support this cooperation.”
Mr Modi will leave Australia on Friday after a tour of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and he and Mr Albanese will meet the presidents of Cricket Australia and the AFL.
Early in the trip, the two signed a series of agreements, including restarting uranium shipments from Australia to India and ending more than a decade of delays in regular shipments of the fuel.
Minerals Council of Australia chief executive Tania Constable said the deal represented a tremendous opportunity.
Ms Constable highlighted India’s plans to expand its nuclear fleet and said meeting demand by half would double Australia’s current uranium export volume.
Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan opened the event on Thursday evening, saying her state was home to more Indians than anywhere else in the world.
“Victoria respects India and we value your people,” he said.
“We welcome your students, your businesses, your families, your ideas.
“In Victoria, the Indian community is not only accepted, they are part of our identity.”
