“I have written this article imaging and imagining what PM Modi may say or could say at the MSG address to NRI’s on September 28th,” says the author.

When we were students in India, we were occasionally asked to write an essay on “What would I tell the people if I was the Prime Minster of the country”. This was as much an exercise in essay writing as it was letting us young people wonder what indeed would we do and say if we were to be the PM of a country as large and diverse as India! Today I am tempted to write once again with the impending visit of India’s new Prime Minister to address the NRI’s and other dignitaries at the world famous arena, Madison Square Garden, in New York city, where NRIs from all over the US will have the opportunity to listen and hear what Mr. Modi has to say to all of us.

To begin with , I will resist the temptation to give an election speech and focus on establishing India’s leadership role in the new world , the opportunity India’s new economy will offer to the world and the importance of the NRI community not only in the US but all over the world. In the process, I will ensure that I tell the truth the way it is because this is the moment to face reality and the truth as no one can hide from it anymore. So here I go with an outline of Mr. Modi’s address at MSG on 28th Sep, 2014: My dear NRI brothers and sisters of America.

I am truly honored and humbled that you have accorded me this wonderful opportunity to directly talk to you and see you in person. This is the world’s most famous arena where Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier showed their amazing talents. This is the home ground of New York basketball and ice hockey teams, the Knicks and the Rangers. This is the place where so many brilliant musicians and show masters have given their outstanding performances. By honoring me here, you have given the Pradhan Sevak from India his moment of glory. Please do not judge my performance against the brilliance of those who have performed here in the past, after all I am only a “chaiwala” having a new “chai per charcha” with you today.

Thank you for coming in such large numbers and giving me the honor of addressing you in this arena and allowing me to set a record with your massive team work. I sincerely thank the organizers and every single person, volunteers and guests today. Please accept my sincere gratitude. Thank you again. It is said we are living in interesting times! Actually, for India it is perhaps the most crucial of all times because we have to collectively respond to the challenges we are facing as a country both from within and outside.We need to revive the economy to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of millions of young people that somehow got affected adversely in the past ten years.

I cannot roll back those years but I have promised to establish a performance based culture in India which will lead to good governance and economic growth for all its people. That is the mandate our party has received from the people of India and I am holding myself, my government and my party responsible and accountable for. No excuses, no alibis and no nonsense. Yes, we will make mistakes and sometimes circumstances will overwhelm us, but we will recover, correct our path and march forward again. In that effort and journey we will need your support, understanding and patience.

Let me begin by saying that in the first 100 days, we have taken some very bold steps to inspire confidence in the people of India – that we can do and achieve more than we have become accustomed to accepting and living with. I have already promised the Japanese Government that we will offer the red carpet and not the red tape for the investments coming from that country. Let me assure you, we will do the same for American investors and businesses who are keen to invest in India.

To that end we have begun the work of establishing practices that will enable us roll out the red carpet to you. The India you will see, now onwards, will not be the India you have known in the past. The people of India are up to that challenge and ready to embrace the change that the mool mantra of “Growth and governance” will do for them. This is also the moment to eliminate the evil of corruption that puts us in really bad light in the world business community. I want to promise that India will move up in two specific rankings, the corruption index and doing business index.We are better than where we are today and to that end I will personally do my best to make us feel proud of who we are and what we are capable of being and doing.

India will be the new engine of economic growth for the world we live in and our goal is to make sure that happens in all seriousness. Secondly, I am here for the UN General Assembly gathering of world leaders. It is a great experience to meet, greet and share friendship with so many leaders of the world at this annual event in New York. As we all know the world is going through very difficult and dangerous times with some groups of people hell bent on destabilizing the much needed peace that is essential for men, women and children of the world. The death of so many innocent people including the helpless children cannot be an acceptable way of life anywhere in the world. To abuse religion in that way is abusing the Will of God himself.

Leaders of every single country in the world must stand united in fighting the evil of murder and forcible conversions of helpless or face death scenarios causing untold sufferings to the helpless and innocent lives. The coalition of the willing needs to be established and there is no way any country can justify partnering with the perpetrators of terrorism for reasons of political expediency. It is this very fact that destabilizes the trust factor in the world leadership and bilateral relationships.

I do believe India has earned the right to become a permanent member of the Security Council but we are not going to bend our principles to get a seat on the Council . I believe India will continue to make its impact on the world economy , politics and social lives and the world will learn the power and virtue of diversity that India is home to.While the United States is the most authentic melting pot, India has always believed in the philosophy and practice of “Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam”- the world is home for all! Our country is home to every single religion who practice their faith without fear. Yes there may be incidents that affect people adversely but those are isolated in practice.

Thirdly, America is not a great country because it is a beautiful country – it is a great country because it has given outstanding leadership to the world, created opportunities for its people and strongly believes in “Life, liberty and pursuit of happiness” as the main source of life and living. It would be unfair to single out a few leaders but who can forget the inspiring words of President Kennedy , who said ” Ask not what the country can do for you but what you can do for your country” . And on another occasion when he said, “we are not going to the moon because it is easy to do so. We are going to the moon because it is difficult to do so”.

Leaders such as JFK inspired the people to rise above their normal being who began to see things differently. It is this spirit of enterprise, self-pride and adventure that I want to take back from here and I invite you to bring these values to India with you whenever you happened to visit India. I have accepted the challenge to rebuild India and reposition India on the world map not because it is easy to do so but because it is difficult and I seek your support , cooperation and patience in making it happen.

I am proud of you NRIs as you stand united as Indians under the banner of NRI. Whatever language you may speak, you are NRIs first! You are, from my point of view, the New Responsible Indians and every Indian in India must become the new NRI – the New Responsible Indian! You have prospered here because you got an opportunity to be what and who you are , working hard , retaining family values and culture , taking care of children , contributing to the communities you live in and being good citizens of America! We are proud of you as you are the true representatives and ambassadors of your original homeland. Come join me and those back home to create a new India.

Finally, there are great expectations from the strategic relationship and partnership between the US and India. I am here to offer the United States my country’s commitment to fight against the evil of terrorism. I am here to offer unprecedented economic cooperation. I am here to do what it takes to help India and Indians achieve economic freedom and prosperity.

I am here to bring prosperity to Americans living here. I promise that the US and President Obama will receive my full cooperation in the fight against terrorism and boosting economic relationships between our two great countries upholding our essential beliefs, values and causes we believe in. I am sure you will support all of us in this task and endeavor. Jai Hind!

(The author is a prolific writer. He can be
reached at vibhutijha@aol.com)