WATCH | ‘Hum Unka Hardik Swagat Karte Hain’: US Sanskrit Scholar, Grammy Winner Welcome PM Modi – News18

Famous Sanskrit and Hindi scholar Elliot McCarter of Vanderbilt University said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the US is an important event in a video shared by the Indian embassy in the US.

“The kind of preparations being made in America to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi is proof of India’s increasing influence in the world. Everyone knows Narendra Modi’s love for Hindi. As a Hindi teacher in America, I hope that with their cooperation the possibilities of Hindi teaching in America will increase,” McCarter said.

“The arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from India, the world’s largest democracy, to America is an important event. We heartily welcome him,” McCarter said, speaking in Hindi in the entirety of the video.

American politicians on both sides of the political spectrum, famous American personalities and Indian-Americans are excited for PM Modi’s historic state visit. PM Modi will be accorded a ceremonial welcome when he visits the White House on Thursday and on Friday he is scheduled to meet the Indian diaspora in the United States.

He will also address the joint session of the US Congress becoming the third leader to address the joint session of the US Congress on more than one occasion.

McCarter in his video said that he knows the efforts PM Modi has taken to spread Hindi language on the world stage and hoped the visit will help increase Hindi language teaching and learning in the United States.

Grammy winner and Indian-American singer Falguni Shah also said the diaspora is excited for PM Modi’s visit. She also lauded the role India and PM Modi played in highlighting the importance of millets.

“After I won a Grammy, he was so graceful. He tweeted about it (and) I got an invitation to see him in Delhi at his residence. We had a great, meaningful conversation about music. He told me, why don’t you use music as a tool, as a powerhouse to help farmers grow millets. So the vision came from him. I mean, he’s brilliant… The response (to the song) has been amazing because the cause of the song is to help end hunger and help farmers,” Shah said.