Updated September 17th, 2019 at 13:20 IST

'Howdy, Modi': Utah Governor Gary Herbert welcomes PM Narendra Modi

Utah Governor was seen welcoming the Indian Prime Minister to 'Howdy, Modi' event in a video posted by Embassy of India in the United States' Twitter handle

Reported by: Pritesh Kamath
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As the ‘Howdy Modi’ event has gained immense momentum with over 50,000 Indian Americans registered for the event with the President of United States Donald Trump attending the event, the Governor of Utah Gary Herbert was seen welcoming the Indian Prime Minister in a video posted by the official Twitter handle of Embassy of India in the United States (@IndianEmbassyUS).

READ | Howdy, Modi: All you need to know about the PM's grand event

Governor Herbert's words of welcome

In the video, Herbert said, “I am delighted to welcome the honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India to the United States and extend congratulations on your recent election victory. Utah is home to a growing community of exceptional Indian Americans. Their contributions are particularly important to our growing institutions of health care, bioscience, and information technology. Our Indian American community plays an important role in our economic and cultural identity. Utah and India have strong economic ties and enjoying sharing one another’s cultures. For the past 10 years, my wife and I helped to host the Diwali festival at the Utah Governor's mansion and perform Lakshmi Pooja as part of the celebration. Your culture and tradition have enriched my life as well as many others. Thank you very much. 

 

Organisers of 'Howdy Modi'

Texas India Forum (TIF), with the help of more than 1,000 volunteers is organising a community summit for PM Modi. TIF has also confirmed that over 650 community organisations have already signed up to be 'welcome partners' for the program. According to the events page, more than 50,000 attendees have registered for the event in three weeks. The event is all sold out. It is also mentioned that the live audience will be the largest gathering for an invited foreign leader visiting the country, apart from the Pope.

READ | 'Howdy, Modi! shows Trump and Modi are friends': former Pak Diplomat

Program schedule

Doors of the 'Howdy, Modi! Shared Dreams, Bright Futures' event will open by 5.00 pm for the attendees in order to gather and settle down. The cultural program is likely to start at 8.30 pm whereas the two leaders, Trump and Modi, will arrive by 9.30 pm. At 10.00 pm, President Trump will address the Indian diaspora followed by the Indian Prime Minister taking center stage to address the crowd. (Timings are Indian Standard Time).

READ | https://www.republicworld.com/india-news/general-news/pm-modi-invites-everyone-to-share-ideas-for-howdy-modi-address

The 'Howdy Modi' event will include a cultural program and an address by PM Modi. A 90-minute cultural program titled, 'Woven: The Indian-American Story' is going to performed celebrating the contributions of Indian-Americans to the cultural, and social landscape of the United States. The event will be held at the pulsating NRG Stadium in Houston.

Indian ambassador to the US Harsh Vardhan Shringla called Trump's impending participation in the massive "Howdy, Modi!" event in Houston on September 22 as "historic" and "unprecedented". "It is reflective of the strong bonds of friendship and cooperation that has developed between India and the US," he said further.

READ | Howdy, Modi: Stellar list of invitees likely to attend PM Modi's event

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Published September 17th, 2019 at 11:31 IST