Five lesser known facts about Narendra Modi's Houston event

EE News Desk Sep 23, 2019

The much awaited and anticipated event of the year where two global leaders US President Donald Trump and Indian PM Narendra Modi shared the stage saw a massive audience of 50,000 Indian-Americans.

In the summit, with the tagline of ‘Shared Dreams, Bright Futures’, PM Modi highlighted the contributions of Indian-Americans to enrich the American life as well as the key role it has played in strengthening relations between the two nations. It emphasised the strong ties between the people of the United States and India, and reaffirmed the strategic partnership between the world’s oldest and the largest democracies and to discussed ways to deepen their energy and trade relationship.

Some of the lesser known facts about the Modi’s Houstan Event:

An event of this magnitude can’t just have any old venue. The chosen venue, the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas has quite an illustrious event history of hosting blockbuster acts by the likes of U2, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Guns N' Roses, and Metallica in the past. The stadium itself has 125,000 square feet of usable space, and a capacity of just over 72,000, making it one of the largest stadiums in the US. It also has a retractable roof that takes all of seven minutes to open and close, protecting event attendees from Houston’s notorious summer heat.
Houston, which has one of the largest concentration of over 5,00,000 Indian-American community in the US, is the energy capital of the world. Energy security is a priority area for Prime –Minister Modi. Houston is also one of the most diverse cities in America and has many advantages including a central location and access to global trade routes, a trained and talented workforce, and a business-friendly regulatory environment, making this region an ideal partner for business and commerce.
PM Modi’s Howdy event is a reflection of raising his popularity across the globe, especially across the Indian community. The event represents strong community involvement, with the engagement of more than 1,000 volunteers and 650 Welcome Partner organisations. India is Houston’s fourth-largest trading partner after Brazil, China and Mexico. From 2009 to 2018, trade between Houston and India averaged USD 4.8 billion annually and was valued at USD 7.2 billion in 2018.
The cultural programme that preceded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address showcased Indian-American artists from Texas and elsewhere, who portrayed how the community is woven into the larger tapestry of American life. The 90-minute music, dance, and multimedia show featured close to 400 artists and community members from Texas and across the nation. There were 27 groups performing in a live and multimedia experience that showcased the diversity in the Indian-American community.
In terms of gathering, the 'Howdy, Modi' programme was even bigger than two previous mega-events held for PM Modi in the US -- the 2014 Madison Square Garden and the 2015 San Jose events. As described by PM Modi himself, US President Donald Trump's presence at the Houston event marks a new milestone and is a testament to the importance of the role played by the Indian community in the US.