PM Modi in UAE: Expat-packed Abu Dhabi stadium sees multicultural splendour of India

The unity in range that India is known for was on full show on the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. The expat-packed area greeted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who in flip sprinkled his handle with a number of Indian languages and a few Arabic.

UAE Minister of Tolerance and Co-existence Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahyan obtained PM Modi exterior the stadium, the venue for the high-voltage occasion ‘Ahlan Modi’ (‘Hello Modi’ in Arabic). He additionally joined the prime minister on the group celebrations attended by Indians, some Emiratis, and UAE officers.

Modi is in the United Arab Emirates for a two-day journey, whose important agenda contains: delivering a particular keynote handle on the World Government Summit in Dubai; bilateral talks; the ‘Ahlan Modi’ occasion in Abu Dhabi; and the opening of the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi.

Pride in being an Indian

Loud and cheerful sloganeering, vibrant, conventional dances, a sprinkling of Arabic and a number of Indian language phrases, and an evocation of delight in being an Indian was how the ‘Ahlan Modi’ occasion unfolded.

As Modi entered the open-air Zayed Sports City Stadium, members of the Indian diaspora welcomed him with slogans of “Har Har Modi, Ghar Ghar Modi”, “We Love Modi”, “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”, and even “Jai Shree Ram” over and above the music.

Kathak, Garba, Rajasthani folks dances and Haryanvi dances have been complemented by the classical rendition of Vande Mataram, the National Anthem of India. Afterwards, there have been some chartbusters with a patriotic flavour that the viewers danced to.

Among the viewers members have been those that had dressed up creatively to attend the occasion.

Murli, a techie who has been dwelling in the UAE for eight years, got here to the occasion dressed as a king from Tamil Nadu.

Neha Pandey, who has been dwelling in Abu Dhabi for 10 years and runs her boutique, was decked up in colors of the Indian flag.

“Life in the UAE is the most effective of each worlds, each the UAE and elements of India. I’ve at all times seen on TV that folks work together with the PM at occasions, however I haven’t attended any such occasion in particular person. This is a large second for us,” Pandey informed the Press Trust of India.

Speaking in Hindi, the prime minister sprinkled phrases about delight in being an Indian in Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu, drawing instantaneous loud applause from the viewers.

But the loudest response was when Modi spoke just a few sentences in Arabic to spotlight the linkages between phrases spoken in India with that language.

Retired couple Padmanabha Hegde and Asha Hegde, who made Abu Dhabi their dwelling 32 years in the past, mentioned that it was a second they might not have missed.

“We are Hindus and reside peacefully in a Muslim nation — how many individuals learn about how protected and welcoming it’s? The occasion is symbolic of Hindu-Muslim unity and, of course, watching PM Modi from shut [quarters] is a delight,” mentioned Asha Hegde.

Indian college college students, who got here to attend the occasion after class, mentioned that they have been there for motivational classes that the PM at all times had for youngsters.

“He is an enormous motivator and it’s a delight to hearken to him like a Ted Talk,” mentioned Harshit Pradhan, a Class XI pupil from DPS Dubai.

At the tip of his handle, the prime minister took a spherical of the stadium in a battery-powered car, waving on the crowd as an excited viewers clicked selfies and shouted “Modi-Modi”.

Earlier in the day, the prime minister had been greeted in an analogous method on the St Regis lodge, the place he reached after a bilateral assembly with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed.

Men, ladies and youngsters, all dressed in vibrant conventional put on, gathered on a flight of steps on the lodge foyer and in addition the first-floor foyer, with welcome slogans similar to “Modi Hai Toh Mumkin Hai”.

Modi responded by waving again at them. He additionally stopped to understand two group volunteers who performed the piano and sang a soulful music for him.

One of the enthusiastic children introduced him with a collage of images of PM Modi and President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed.

“Incredibly honoured by the nice and cozy welcome from the Indian Community in Abu Dhabi right now. The vibrancy of our diaspora by no means ceases to amaze me,” Modi posted on X quickly after, together with pictures of the gathering.

Modi thanks Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed for assist to BAPS Hindu Mandir

On Wednesday morning, PM Modi attends the inauguration of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Hindu Mandir, the primary Hindu stone temple in Abu Dhabi. He then heads to Doha to have a bilateral assembly with Qatari leaders.

On Tuesday, Modi thanked Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed for his assist and his graciousness in granting the land for the development of a Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi, saying that it mirrored the UAE president’s affinity for India.

BAPS Hindu Mandir Abu Dhabi, situated in Abu Mureikhah, close to Al Rahba off the Dubai-Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed Highway, has come up on round 27 acres of land in Abu Dhabi. Work on the construction has been happening since 2019. The land for the temple was donated by the UAE authorities.

“The development of the BAPS temple wouldn’t have been attainable with out your assist,” the Indian prime minister mentioned to the UAE president.

Modi recalled that in his first assembly with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, he had simply talked about the land for the temple and the president instantly responded to the request. “Such belief and love itself characterize the energy of our distinctive relationship,” mentioned Modi.

The inauguration of the BAPS Hindu Mandir Abu Dhabi takes place three weeks after the brand new Ram Lalla idol was consecrated on the Ayodhya Ram Mandir on January 22, an occasion that was led by PM Modi.

The UAE has three different Hindu temples, that are situated in Dubai. The BAPS temple, unfold over a big space with stone structure, would be the largest of all in the Gulf area.