The prime minister was received at the airport by India's Ambassador to the US, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, and his American counterpart Ken Juster.
US President Donald Trump lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'calm, cool, killer' persona at the G7 leaders' lunch in France, underscoring the deeply strategic relationship and formidable diplomatic skills of the Indian leader ahead of their crucial bilateral meeting.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was accorded a rousing welcome on Sunday when he arrived at the crowded NRG stadium to address the Indian-American community along with US President Donald Trump.
The gates of NRG Stadium will open at 6 am to accommodate and seat 50,000 people by 9 am, after which cultural programme will begin and continue till 10:30 am, and will be broadcast live in Hindi, English and Spanish languages followed by the address of the two leaders.
The 90-minute music, dance, and multimedia show featured close to 400 artists and community members from Texas and across the United States.
"Memories from Houston, where history was made! PM @narendramodi presented a framed photograph from the #HowdyModi event to @POTUS @realDonaldTrump," Prime Minister's Office tweeted.
The talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Donald Trump in Washington were marked by the US president's generous praise of the Indian leader and his consideration of India's stance on several issues.
The meeting comes a day after the US President had shared the dais with Modi to address nearly 50,000 Indian-Americans at 'Howdy, Mody' event in Houston.
In addition to Modi's address, the programme is also expected to include a cultural programme that showcases the Indian-American community and will be broadcast live online and on television channels, reaching over 1 billion people across the US and India, the organisers said.
Reassuring the community, Modi said that "everything is fine" in nearly eight languages, with US President Donald Trump present in the audience.
Modi urged the people to express their thoughts on the special open forum on the NaMo application.
Rashid Alvi of the party claimed, "More than Rs 1 lakh crore is being spent on the event."
As per the schedule released by the White House on late Saturday night, Trump will spend 100 minutes at the NRG Stadium.
Indian-Americans in Houston are very enthusiastic about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump jointly addressing the mega 'Howdy, Modi' rally, an event they believe would take the bilateral ties to a new level.
'What has India got out of Howdy India in substantive terms?' asks Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
This is for the first time in recent history that the leaders of the two largest democracies would be addressing a joint rally anywhere in the world.
The Howdy Modi put a dagger into the heart of the 'bipartisan consensus' in the US regarding the relations with (Modi's) India, points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday addressed over 50,000 Indian-Americans in Houston, Texas at the 'Howdy, Modi!' event. Here are highlights of the event in videos:
US President Donald Trump shared a video link of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's interaction with US-based popular podcaster and computer scientist Lex Fridman on his social media platform Truth Social. During the interaction lasting over three hours, Modi on Sunday said he and Trump connect well as both put their respective countries first and asserted that their mutual trust remained unshaken even when the Republican leader was out of office during Joe Biden's presidency. Modi recalled that during Trump's first term, he ignored security protocol and agreed to Modi's request to take a lap around the stadium hosting the 'Howdy Modi' event in Houston. Modi also lauded Mahatma Gandhi's legacy and described himself as a peacemaker who has nudged both Russian and Ukrainian leaders to come to the negotiating table. In the podcast, Modi also opened up on a host of foreign affairs issues and touched on various aspects of his life journey.
In a video, it can be seen that one of the woman officials handed over a flower bouquet to Modi. During this moment, some flowers fell on the red carpet. The PM immediately picked up the flowers and handed over to one of his security personnel.
From "special person" to "close friend to "master of the art of the deal", were just some of the high praise that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United States President Donald Trump lavished on each other during the Howdy Modi event in Houston, Texas. That the two heads of state share good relations was known to all and the event at the NRG stadium was a perfect opportunity for both to reacquaint the world with their love for one another. Take a look.
Lavishing high praise on Modi, Trump described him "great", "a friend", "nicest human being" and a leader who is tough in dealing with India's adversaries when required.
During his nearly 25-minute speech, Trump praised Modi's economic reforms and said these reforms have lifted more than three million people out of poverty. "And that is an incredible number," he added.
"India's decision on Article 370 has troubled some people, who can't handle their country, who support terrorism," the prime minister said.
If India caves in to US pressure as Trump hopes it will, he will further try to blackmail it into submission, points out Ramesh Menon.
In the last 11 years, India and the world witnessed what he stood for, what he promised and did not deliver, and what he actually stood for and practised without fearing how history would judge him. Modi's tenure has been punctuated with headline-grabbing decisions, symbolic gestures, and stage-managed moments that continue to define his leadership and India's politics, points out Ramesh Menon.
The event is the third meeting between the two leaders in three months, after the G-20 summit in Japan in June and the G-7 summit in France last month.
The popular Indian-origin comic faced a lot of heat on social media for his episodes on Indian elections and the clampdown in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 ahead Indian Independence Day.
'Trump is likely being purposefully vague, hoping that this lack of clarity will pressure India, fearing the worst, to agree to scale back its imports of Russian oil.'
During his visit to Modi's home state Gujarat, Trump along with the Indian prime minister would participate in a grand roadshow, planned along a 10-km decked-up stretch from the Ahmedabad airport to the Sabarmati Ashram. The US president would then visit the Sabarmati Ashram and then address a gathering, likely to be attended by over one lakh people.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has praised US President Donald Trump in a podcast, describing him as a "man of courage" and saying they share a "mutual trust" based on their "America First" and "India First" philosophies. Modi recalled Trump's resilience after being shot at during the US election campaign and his willingness to engage with the public at a community event in Houston. He also highlighted the shared nationalistic approach they both embrace.
With more than 50,000 people registering for the Houston event and the numbers expected to climb, the organisers have asked those who may not be able to attend to cancel and so open up slots for the hopeful, and cautioning those coming from afar to book their air tickets soon.
Official sources said Modi also congratulated Trump on the performance of his Republican Party in the US Congressional elections, as both leaders affirmed that they would work together for world peace.
Over 24,000 people have registered for the 'Modi & US Progress Together' event in Uniondale, New York.
"Indian-Americans are an 'organic bridge' between the world's two largest democracies," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United States President-elect Donald Trump have 'reaffirmed their commitment' to working together to further strengthen bilateral ties across a range of sectors, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.
'The challenge before the two countries is to turn the peak into a plateau and enter an irreversible phase of cooperation,' notes Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
US shale oil would act as an alternative to India's heavy dependency on Russian crude, which is currently facing sanctions.
"Getting straight to business. PM @narendramodi just concluded a fruitful interaction with top energy sector CEOs at a Roundtable meeting in #Houston. Discussion focussed on working together for energy security and expanding mutual investment opportunities between India & US," MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a tweet.
Deora said he "regrets the insinuations" made after the Twitter exchange with Modi.
