The “never-before-seen” public reception for an Indian Prime Minister at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden on September 28 promises to be a grand affair, with all seating slots in the 20,000-seat arena “sold out”.
Planned to be telecast live, Narendra Modi’s address will also be viewed on giant screens at the iconic Times Square, eulogised as “The Crossroads of the World” and one of the foremost landmarks of the Big Apple.“It will be one of the largest gatherings for a speech by a foreign leader, for the Prime Minister of India who recently won a historic election in the world’s largest democracy,” says the Indian-American Community Foundation, a not-for-profit body founded exclusively for organising the Modi event.
“This Community Reception will bring together almost 20,000 Indian-Americans from across the United States and of unprecedented diversity,” says the foundation website.
Free admission tickets for the event, issued on a first-come first-served basis through registration, generated an unprecedented rush and the authorities put out the “sold out” signal within a few days of the announcement of the event.
The costs are being borne exclusively by the foundation with the help of donations from the general public through its website and a glossy souvenir with advertisement support.