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Nalin S Kohli is spokesperson for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Director of the party's Public Policy Research Centre. He is also a lawyer and has extensive experience in media and education.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has returned to India after a three-nation extensive diplomatic initiative. Every aspect of the visit - Myanmar to Australia to Fiji - has undoubtedly boosted India's diplomatic standing and bodes well for future initiatives.
The visit to Australia has been in focus for several reasons. First, the G-20 Summit was an important multilateral occasion where Indian Prime Minister was able to highlight our priorities and concerns. The issue of black money was incorporated into the official communique. Unaccounted-for money has serious security implications and the need for a coordinated global approach on this issue as well as terrorism is increasingly being acknowledged. India's concerns resonating in an important global forum is indeed a welcome sign as the G-20 nations collectively account for 85% of the global GDP and 75% of global trade.
The bilateral visit within Australia appeared festive and celebratory, given the myriad aspects that it touched and covered. The non-resident Indian community was visibly euphoric. Over 21,000 persons attended the Allphones Arena event to hear Prime Minister Modi speak. From a Modi Express train between Melbourne and Sydney to the Modi food platter, not a single aspect of the festivity was left uncovered by media representatives from both countries. The Prime Minister was repeatedly referred to as a "rock-star" to drive home the point that he stood out and enjoyed a popularity that was indeed uncommon.
Nor was there an absence of warmth and affection including between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Tony Abbot who referred to each other as "friends". The leaders of both countries appear keen to strengthen the bond beyond the shared values of democracy, multiculturalism, cuisine and cricket.
A number of agreements were signed and a more structured approach to enhance economic activity and security cooperation between both countries was affirmed. Finalising the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) is among the top priorities as also the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement which will enable uranium export from Australia, needed to boost India's power-generation capacity. Manufacturing and investments, tourism and vocational education training are other areas offering enormous bilateral potential.
But for many, the shared celebration of cricket makes the relationship between both countries special. This was evident throughout the Prime Minister's visit. He referred to the legend of Bradman and the class of Sachin. Pace bowlers Brett Lee and Javagal Srinath, and Australian umpire Simon Taufel were present at the Allphones Arena event in Sydney.
And cricket diplomacy took centrestage at the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground. Prime Minister Tony Abbott hosted a select reception for Prime Minister Modi, attended by cricket greats including Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Allan Border and Dean Jones.
Established in 1853, the MCG is indeed a special place for sports lovers. It is also the venue where India won the 1985 Champions Trophy. Such is its cherished status that despite 1,03,000 people being members of the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC), a whopping 2,33,000 are in the queue waiting to join it. That's almost 1% of the population of Australia on a waiting list to join the club!
Volunteers who showcase the MCG and the innovative Sports Museum joke that parents register their newborns for membership of the MCC and celebrate the 21st birthday with its arrival! Incidentally, a majority of the volunteers like Myles and Gwenda (now married for 50 years) are senior citizens who do this virtually for free, happy to guide excited sports lovers on the MCG tour.
The India connection is evident even at the MCC. At 5%, Indians comprise the second-largest continent of its 1,50,000 visitors. Scott Butler, General Manager of the MCC estimates that by 2015, Indians will emerge as the largest contingent of visitors.
Cricket fans are hoping that India and Australia will clash here for the World Cup finals. It is also this love for sports that has brought both countries together to collaborate on a Sports University in India.
Prime Minister Modi summed up his visit when he said "
My memorable visit to Australia ends tonight, but a new journey of our relationship has begun."
Perhaps the time to celebrate a new era in Indo-Australian relations has only just begun.
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