PM Modi's US visit: Gujarati Garba kickstarts Madison event

NEW YORK: A Gujarati garba dance performance kickstarted the grand rockstar-like reception of Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted by Indian-Americans here, as thousands-strong crowd shouted 'Har Har Modi' among other slogans.

Hosted by Indian-origin news anchor Hari Sreenivasan and Miss America Nina Davuluri, the event at the Madison Square Garden started by Gujarati folk dance by a group of 16 girls, while they were joined by five boys for another performance.

As the show progressed in the run-up to Modi's arrival, famous singer Kavita Krishnamurthy and her violin maestro husband L Subramaniam enthralled the crowd with their performances.

An artist painted a huge portrait of Modi on the stage while the duo's performances were on.

A photographic collage of eminent Indian-Americans were shown. Also images of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Swami Vivekananda and Satyajit Ray were shown.