Aussie Celebs, Scientists in Awe of PM Modi’s Achievements, Vision for India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Australian influencers and esteemed members of the Australian civil society on Monday in Sydney. He met public speaker Mark Balla aka ‘Toilet Warrior’, restaurateur Sarah Todd, indigenous artist Danielle Mate, musician Sebastian Guy and Nobel laureate Brian P. Schmidt.

“Furthering India and Australia cultural and people to people ties. Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with prominent public figures of Australia, working in diverse fields of science, artificial intelligence, humanities, social work, gastronomy, art and music. Congratulated them on their achievements and encouraged them to contribute to strengthening India-Australia relationship,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a tweet.

The Australian celebrities were in awe of Prime Minister Modi and his achievements in India. Restaurateur Sarah Todd said the Prime Minister has done incredible things for India while Guy Sebastian, the winner of the first Australian Idol in 2003, said PM Modi asked him to learn the Oscar-winning song ‘Naatu Naatu’ from feature film RRR.

“I feel very lucky to have met him and I can see that he really cares about the country and his vision. The Prime Minister is an incredible influencer and I think coming from humble beginnings and standing up as this leader in the country – he has done such incredible work,” Todd said.

“The first person I will call after meeting His Excellency is my mother,” Sebastian said, adding that his mother was raised in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur.

Business specialist and accomplished public speaker on humanitarian issues Mark Ballas also lauded PM Modi for making the world pay attention to sanitation.

“PM Modi is the absolute number one change maker in the sanitation space globally,” Ballas said, referring to the steps the government has taken under the leadership of PM Modi to change the way Indians think about sanitation and cleanliness.

Nobel laureate Brian Paul Schmidt said PM Modi was very “well-briefed” on what research has been going on in Australia. “India’s ability to do world-class science has become an order of magnitude higher, because India is investing in science and scientists, giving them equipment,” Nobel laureate Schmidt, who is also the vice-chancellor and president of the Australian National University, said.

PM Modi also met indigenous artist Danielle Mate. Sydney-based artist Danielle specialises in creating large-scale murals and public art. She has collaborated with several renowned Australian brands, supporting their reconciliation action plans.

“PM Modi has a creative element to himself, he can see similarities in arts and culture of two countries,” Mate said after meeting with the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister also met professor Toby Walsh who is the chief scientist at the Artificial Intelligence Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney and sociologist and author, associate professor Salvatore Babones.