Namaste Trump! India gears up to host US Prez

February 24, 2020 08:19

United States President Donald Trump will arrive in Ahmedabad on Monday for the first leg of his maiden India trip during which he will visit Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram, take part in a roadshow with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and jointly address over one lakh people at a cricket stadium, before heading for Agra to see the iconic Taj Mahal with his wife Melania.

Trump, who is also accompanied by daughter Ivanka, son-in-law Jared Kushner and top brass of his administration, will get a taste of India's cultural potpourri during his Gujarat itinerary which is high on symbolism, especially after the bonhomie between the two leaders at the 'Howdy, Modi!' event in Houston during the Indian prime minister's visit to the US in September 2019.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a friend of mine. I had committed to this trip long time back. I will be addressing a big rally," Trump said at the White House.

The US president, who is scheduled to arrive at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International airport at around 11:40 am on Monday, will participate along with Modi in roadshows on his way from the airport to Sabarmti Ashram and from there to the newly-built Motera cricket stadium, where over one lakh people are expected to be present for the 'Namaste Trump' event.

Dance groups and singers from different parts of the country will be performing on stages that are dotting the 22-km route of the 'India roadshow' in the city that has was been spruced up for Trump's visit. Huge billboards of the two leaders and replicas of historic places in Gujarat, Modi's native state, have also been placed along the roads where people will greet the two leaders.

Over 10,000 police personnel, besides officials of the United States Secret Service, and personnel of the National Security Guards and the Special Protection Group have been deployed for the high profile visit.

"India looks forward to welcoming @POTUS @realDonaldTrump. It is an honour that he will be with us tomorrow, starting with the historic programme in Ahmedabad," tweeted Modi.

Trump, who is the seventh US president to visit the country, too took to Twitter saying he was looking forward to being with his "great friends" in India as he retweeted a video in which his face was superimposed on the hit Indian movie-character Bahubali, showing him as a great saviour.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will accompany Trump to the Sabarmati Ashram, which was home to Mahatma Gandhi from 1917-1930 during India's freedom struggle.

Several world leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had visited Sabarmati Ashram in recent years.

Ashram secretary Amrut Modi said that Trump will spend 15 minutes at the place.

"Trump will visit the 'Hriday Kunj'. If he wishes, he will spin a charkha. We will also gift him a coffee-table book, and a book containing 150 quotations of Gandhi," the Ashram official said.

Hriday Kunj is a room on the Ashram premises where Mahatma Gandhi and his wife Kasturba Gandhi had lived for 12 years between 1918 and 1930.

The official said the US President would be briefed about Gandhiji and the importance of charkha (spinning wheel) as a symbol of self-reliance.

A cultural extravaganza will be organised at the Motera stadium during the 'Namaste Trump' event, where Trump and Modi will address the gathering.

Bollywood singers Kailash Kher and Parthiv Gohil, and Gujarati folk singers like Kirtidan Gadhvi, Gita Rabari, Purushottam Upadhyay and Sairam Dave will perform at the stadium, officials of the Gujarat Cricket Association said.

Students of various government and private schools have also been roped in to perform at cultural events and they have been practising for days, an official said.

Billboard with slogans hailing Indo-US relations like 'the world's oldest democracy meets the world's largest democracy' and 'stronger friendship for a brighter future', and pictures of Trump and Modi walking together, shaking hands, and waving at the crowd during the 'Howdy Modi' event in the US last year have come up at prominent places. -- PTI

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