Key Points
- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a three-day visit to Australia.
- Mr Modi will attend a community reception at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena on Tuesday.
- Indian community members from across Australia are travelling to Sydney to attend the event.
Supporters of Mr Modi have organised special buses from Brisbane and Canberra, while a charter flight will depart from Melbourne for the occasion. Others will make their own way from Adelaide and Perth.
Mr Modi's visit from 22-24 May is his first to Australia since 2014, and comes despite the cancellation of Sydney's QUAD summit.
He will attend a bilateral meeting with his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, to discuss trade and investment, including efforts to boost trade through a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement and strengthen people-to-people links, renewable energy and defence and security cooperation.
While some Indian Australians are looking forward to Mr Modi's visit, other community members have around human rights and treatment of minorities.
Supporters of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi hold a banner reading "Modi Express" as they prepare to ride an overnight train with some 200 others from Southern Cross station in Melbourne to Sydney ahead of Modi's upcoming visit to that city during his visit to Australia on November 16, 2014. Source: AFP / MAL FAIRCLOUGH/AFP via Getty Images
'Excitement is high'
Mr Modi, along with Mr Albanese, will attend a community reception at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena on 23 May to meet with members of Australia's Indian diaspora.
The event's organisers, the Indian Australian Diaspora Foundation (IADF), are expecting a large turn-out.
“The Indian Australian community is excited to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi after nine years. He visited Australia in 2014 and was greeted by a large crowd at Sydney's community reception," Jay Shah, one of IADF's directors, told SBS Gujarati.
“This time, excitement among Modi fans is also very high, and he will be welcomed and cheered by more than 18,000 people at the Qudos Bank Arena in Olympic Park on Tuesday,” said Mr Shah.
Some people will travel more than 3,000 km for an audience with Mr Modi.
Mr Shah is one of the organisers of a charter flight dubbed 'Modi Airways' that he said will transport 180 people from Melbourne for the reception.
“A charter flight will take off from Qantas terminal from Melbourne airport around 9 am [on Tuesday] and land in Sydney around 10:30 am, where all the passengers will be welcomed and taken to the venue by charter buses.”
Another 1,000 people will travel from the Victorian capital via road, train or commercial flights, he claimed.
He said people from cities all over the country will participate in the event through singing and cultural dance performances.
Canberra residents will travel to Sydney to attend PM Narendra Modi's community reception. Source: Prakashbhai Mehta
The vehicles will be "specially decorated with the Indian tricolour and banners welcoming Mr Modi", he said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds up his hand as he addresses the crowd of Indian community in Australia during a cultural event at Sydney Olympic park in Australia, Monday, Nov. 17, 2014. Source: AP / Rob Griffith/AP
“Attendees from Canberra will make a return trip after the event's conclusion.”
When Brisbane residents fulfilled Mr Modi’s dream
Architect and Brisbane resident Hemant Naik has fond memories of Mr Modi's previous visits to Australia.
When Mr Modi visited Brisbane in 2003 he requested that the Indian Australian community erect a statue of independence hero Mahatma Gandhi.
Mr Naik, who worked on the statue with his wife Kalpana, said Mr Modi constantly followed up with him about this project.
The Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Committee attained land from Brisbane City Council and a statue from the Indian High Commissioner in Brisbane.
When Mr Modi came to Brisbane to attend the G20 Summit in 2014, he unveiled the statue of Mahatma Gandhi and thanked Kalpana and Hemant Naik for their involvement in the project.
Mr Modi unveils a stature of Mahatma Gandhi in Brisbane during his visit in 2014. Credit: Hemant Naik
One Brisbane resident, Jogindra Modi, spoke to SBS Gujarati.
“We will start our journey for Sydney around 10 pm on Monday 22 May and return to Brisbane on 24 May after attending Tuesday's event.”
Adelaide resident Chirag Trivedi is among a group travelling to Sydney from South Australia.
He said 55 Indian organisations in the state are actively working with the IADF to support the event.
We couldn't get enough registrations to organise a charter flight from Adelaide as the event is on Tuesday, a working day. Hence, we will travel by commercial flight.Chirag Trivedi, Adelaide resident
Piyush Satapara is flying from Perth for the occasion.
He said he was inspired to travel by Mr Modi's efforts to strengthen relations between India and Australia.
Flow over from thousands of fans of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who couldn't get a ticket watch the show on a big screen outside Allphones Arena Sydney, Monday, Nov. 17, 2014. Source: AAP / JANE DEMPSTER/AAPIMAGE
"I'm proud that both governments recognise the significant potential for further cooperation across a range of areas."
Some Indian Australians see Mr Modi’s visit as an opportunity to air human rights concerns.
"There are concerns around human rights, around the treatment of minorities and the freedom of the press, and we'd like these to be raised by Prime Minister Albanese," Mahesh White-Radhakrishnan, acting Australia-New Zealand chair for Hindus for Human Rights, recently told .
Here's how to follow SBS Gujarati on our other digital and social media platforms.
as a favourite.
SBS Radio App: Download SBS Radio App from App Store or Google Play and listen to podcasts and our live radio program.
Listen to news and interviews in Gujarati: Follow SBS Gujarati on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.
Listen to SBS Gujarati every Wednesday and Friday at 4 pm.
