Over 24,000 members of the Indian diaspora have registered to attend a major community event in New York, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to speak next month. 

The ‘Modi & US: Progress Together’ event is scheduled for September 22 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which holds 15,000 people. Despite the venue’s capacity, the Indo-American Community of USA (IACU) announced on Tuesday that over 24,000 Indian-Americans have already signed up, indicating strong enthusiasm from the community. Prime Minister Modi is also slated to address the high-level UN General Assembly session on September 26, according to a provisional list of speakers released by the UN. 

The IACU reported that registrations for the Long Island event have been received through 590 community organisations across the United States, all of which have signed up as ‘Welcome Partners.’ While attendees are expected from at least 42 states, PTI reports that the tri-state area has shown the strongest response.

 “We’re committed to allowing as many people as possible to take part in this historic event,” said one of the event’s key organisers. “We are working to expand seating arrangements and coordinate with our Welcome Partners to prioritize seat allocations for those who confirm their attendance.” 

Cultural variety within the Indian-American community

The IACU emphasised that the ‘Modi & US’ event will celebrate the interconnected diversity of the Indian-American community. Attendees will include members from various religious communities such as Jewish, Zoroastrian, Jain, Christian, Sikh, Muslim, and Hindu, and will represent a wide range of Indian languages, including Hindi, Telugu, Punjabi, Tamil, Bengali, Malayalam, Gujarati, and more. In addition to Prime Minister Modi’s speech, the event will feature cultural performances and appearances by prominent Indian-Americans in business, science, entertainment, and the arts. 

The Indo-American Community of USA (IACU), a non-profit organisation, aims to promote understanding and unity within the Indo-American community through cultural events and public programs. Preparations for the event are reportedly well underway, nearly 10 years after Modi addressed a large gathering at Madison Square Garden in New York in September 2014, just months after he first became Prime Minister. 

In 2019, Modi also spoke at the ‘Howdy Modi’ event at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, alongside former President Donald Trump. This year’s visit comes just weeks before the U.S. presidential elections in November, where the race is between Trump and Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris, the first woman of Black and Indian heritage. The high-level General Debate of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly is set to take place from September 24-30. 

According to the provisional list of speakers, India’s Prime Minister is expected to address the session on the afternoon of September 26. Modi, who was sworn in for a historic third term as India’s Prime Minister in June, last spoke at the annual high-level UNGA session in September 2021. In June of the previous year, he led the historic Yoga Day commemoration at the UN headquarters before travelling to Washington, D.C., for a State Visit hosted by President Joe Biden. 

During the high-level week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will present his report before the start of the General Debate. 

Guterres will also host the Summit of the Future at UN Headquarters on September 20-21, with the Summit itself scheduled for September 22-23. World leaders will gather at the UN to adopt the Pact for the Future, which will include a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations as annexes. “The Summit is a high-level event, bringing world leaders together to forge a new international consensus on how we deliver a better present and safeguard the future,” the UN stated.