50,000 Indian-Americans are due to pack into a Houston stadium Sunday for a rally with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, joined by U.S. President Donald Trump
Reuters
The 'Howdy, Modi!' event is due to kick off in the morning with a 90-minute cultural program featuring 400 costumed dancers, reports Reuters.?
Ever since word of the event in Houston started doing the rounds, people have been frantically looking for the meaning of 'Howdy'.
For those unaware, the?term "howdy" is a commonly used informal and friendly greeting used in Texas and other southwestern states of the US which means "How do you do?"
A member of the Sikh community said Modi's presence in the United States is a matter of pride for the whole Indian-American community.
It will not be the first time Modi, who heads the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, has addressed a large crowd in the United States, which is home to about 4 million Indian-Americans including about 300,000 in Houston and nearby Dallas, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census data.
"It would be quite a historic meeting with Prime Minister Modi and President Trump jointly addressing over 50,000 Indian-Americans, mainly US citizens," India's Ambassador to the US, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, said.
As per the schedule released by the White House on late Saturday night, Trump will spend 100 minutes at the NRG Stadium. While the duration of his speech is not yet known, it is believed his remarks could last as long as 30 minutes. He is also expected to be present in the audience during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address.
"By coming to Houston and attending the "Howdy, Modi!" event, he (Trump) has won the hearts of Indian-Americans. He will earn more votes from Indian Americans in the 2020 presidential elections," eminent Indian-American community leader from Indiana Bharat Barai told PTI in an interview.
Barai, a close friend of the Indian prime minister, had organised Modi's historic Madison Square Garden event in New York in 2014.
From Ohio, Trump will fly to New York to attend the annual session of the UN General Assembly.
On Monday he is scheduled to meet Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. A day later, Trump would hold a formal bilateral dialogue with Modi in New York.
TIF spokesperson Gitesh Desai said that more than 100 buses are being provided to ferry the participants. Ahead of PM Modi's arrival on Saturday, a car rally was also organised in Houston on Friday.
The 'Howdy, Modi' is likely to end at 11:30 pm (India time) after which PM Modi will join a private community reception.?