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Some thoughts from the @narendramodi visit to Houston and the upcoming Howdy Modi! event follow. I spent the day at the NRG Stadium watching preparations and rehearsals for the event and it’s cultural component. Also interacted with volunteers from all parts of the US 1/n
While @realDonaldTrump will be the obvious star among those on stage with the Indian PM, Modi will also meet and have lunch with some 25 members of Congress, Governors and elected officials representing both Democrats and Republicans. The celebration of India is bipartisan 2/n
Volunteers/organisers of the community event represent Americans of Indian origin from many beliefs. I met Republicans who like Trump & Republicans who don’t; Democrats who like Biden & those who prefer Sanders. This speaks for the diversity of India and the US as societies 3/n
Some 50,000 people will be in the stadium tomorrow. Americans of Indian origin from all 50 American states have registered. Fittingly, India’s trade relationship is now believed to extend to all 50 states. The US-India equation is deep and it’s wide 4/n
Texas is home to a well-regarded Indian community in the Dallas-Houston region. It has added value and jobs, contributing to the IT sector, innovation, medicine/healthcare (the many superspeciality hospitals here) and energy (oil and gas). In such areas Indian names abound 5/n
The energy relationship has grown from virtually nothing to a quantum so substantial India is today Houston’s fourth largest national trading partner, a big consumer of Texan oil and gas. Modi’s roundtable with energy CEOs built on work by Petroleum Min Dharmendra Pradhan 6/n
That Petronet has announced an investment in a Texas-based LNG termina is revealing of importance of Houston to India’s energy security. It also sets the ground for Modi to tell Trump that India is an investor and importer — not just a seller and exploiter of the US market 7/n
Also telling is the celebration of Americans of Indian origin as a cohort of high achievers and a bridge between the two societiesis unrelated to the trade discussions. India keen not to project the community as a lobby in local US politics for Indian national interests 8/n
Distinction between US-India bilateral relations & G2G negotiations on the one hand and the diaspora as a community to celebrate on the other gives Indians in US a cushion in a time of immigration debates. In Texas it makes the community a prize for both Trump and Democrats 9/n
Unlike some other countries, Modi’s diaspora approach has been subtle and careful. It has projected the community as symbolic of Indian values — but not as an instrument of Indian government. This nuance has been appreciated in western democracies and of course in the US 10/10
