Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 15 asserted that there is a huge difference between pre-2014 and post-2014 India, saying the country is now moving ahead at an "unprecedented speed and scale" as he underlined that it is now the fastest growing large economy and ranked first in several sectors.
The Prime Minister also played the drums as he arrived to interact with the members of the Indian diaspora in Indonesia on the sidelines of the G20 summit.
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Amid cheers and slogans of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', a huge crowd of people dressed in Indian attire and turbans greeted Prime Minister Modi with folded hands as he arrived at the venue to interact with the Indian community.
Mr. Modi joined in the festivities and played the drums for a few beats alongside the drummers
Addressing the diaspora, Mr. Modi said India is a ray of hope for the world in the 21st century.
"Today, India is the fastest growing large economy in the world," Mr. Modi said amid a huge round of applause.
The Prime Minister said that India is number one today in digital transactions, global fintech, IT outsourcing, smartphone data consumption and vaccine manufacturing.
And this has become possible because "today's India doesn't think small. Today India is going ahead at unprecedented scale and speed", he said.
"We don't dream small anymore. Since 2014, we have opened more than 320 million bank accounts. More than the population of USA," he said.
Mr. Modi said Indonesia was fortunate to attain independence two years before India and there is a lot that India can learn from Indonesia.
He said India has stood firmly with Indonesia during its "challenging times", while acknowledging the shared shared heritage and culture between the two countries.
Mr. Modi recalled the devastating 2018 earthquake in Indonesia and New Delhi launching the massive operation 'Operation Samudra Maitri' for humanitarian assistance.
Prime Minister Modi said relations between India and Indonesia stood strong during both good and difficult times.
In 2018, when Mr. Modi visited Jakarta, he said that India and Indonesia may be 90 nautical miles apart, but in reality, "we are not 90 nautical miles apart but 90 nautical miles close."
"At a time when the grand Ram Temple is taking shape in India, we also proudly remember the Ramayana tradition of Indonesia," he said.
Mr. Modi added on August 15, India celebrated 75 years of independence, while Indonesia's Independence Day comes two days after India's—on August 17.
However, at the same time, he said, in its 75-year-old long development journey, there is a lot that India can also give to Indonesia.
"The talent, technology, innovation and industry of India have made an identity for themselves in the world. Several big companies of the world today have an Indian-origin CEO," Mr. Modi said.
Mr. Modi is here to attend the G20 Summit at the invitation of Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
India is currently part of the G20 Troika (current, previous, and incoming G20 Presidencies) comprising Indonesia, Italy, and India.
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