File photo: PM Modi at Madison Square Garden, New York City
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit four Australian cities in four days this month and those organising functions to welcome him say the Indian community there is gripped by a "Modi mania."
PM Modi will visit Australia from November 15 for a G-20 summit and a bilateral visit. He tweeted on Sunday to say he would attend "a variety of programmes, including an interaction with the Indian community there," and invited ideas and thoughts from the public on his visit.
Organisers of the interaction with the Indian community, being planned for November 17 at Sydney's Allphones Arena, say they already have 27,000 registrations. They plan a glitzy function to rival the grand reception held in September at New York's Madison Square Garden during the PM's US visit; 18,000 non-resident Indians and Indian-origin Americans and key US politicians attended the event.
An organiser Balesh Singh told NDTV that the event in Sydney would feature a culture show and would be attended by many eminent personalities and also famous sportspersons. Another organiser, Ramaswamy, reported "amazing enthusiasm."
A special train, the "Modi Express" will run from Melbourne to Sydney, and will ferry hundreds of Indians to see an exhibition on people who migrated from India to Australia.
During his trip, PM Modi will also attend a state banquet at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and a joint parliamentary session in Canberra.
The G-20 or the Group of 20 is the world's main intergovernmental policy forum, bringing together developed and emerging nations, which, between themselves, account for nine-tenths of global economic output.
The Brisbane meeting will focus on how countries are implementing policies to drive growth and create jobs.