Hindustan Times : Feb 24, 2020, 05:10 PM
Basking in adulation from a massive, colourful crowd, US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi lavished each other with praise on Monday in Gujarat as the state hosted ‘Namaste Trump’ to welcome the American leader.More than 100,000 people packed into Motera, the world’s largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad, to give Trump the biggest rally crowd of his political career. Nearly everyone in the newly constructed stadium sported a white cap with the name of the event, “Namaste Trump” or “Welcome Trump,” and roared for the introductions of both leaders.On a whirlwind 36-hour visit to India, Trump opened his speech by declaring that he had travelled 8,000 miles to deliver the message that “America loves India, America respects India and America will always be faithful and loyal friends to the Indian people”.The boisterous scene featured musicians on camels and a musical medley of Bollywood hits and Trump’s campaign rally playlist, including songs of British singer Elton John that seemed to puzzle most of the crowd. Elton John’s songs are staple of his domestic rallies.In fact, Trump likes Elton John’s songs so much that he has even used phrases from those songs to name his political rivals. “Rocket Man” is one such example. He used the nickname for North Korean leader in his appearance before the UN General Assembly.The song “Rocket Man” was on Elton John’s 1972 album “Honky Chateau”. Trump enjoyed playing the song at his rallies, as well as another Elton John hit “Tiny Dancer”.Some of the Elton John songs which were played today in Motera are “Tiny Dancer”, “Rotten Peaches” and “Indian Sunset”.Trump heaped praise on PM Modi, calling him a tough leader and someone who has made it possible to reach the peak “if you work hard towards realising your dreams”.He also recounted the decades of friendship between India and the US. “The US will always be faithful and loyal friend of India. Thank you for the spectacular welcome,” he added.The US President reached out to Indians by hailing the “genius” of the Hindi film industry and recalling two all-time favourites, “Sholay” and “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” (DDLJ). Addressing the ‘Namaste Trump’ event, the Trump said people “take great joy” in watching Bollywood films and understanding Indian culture through them.The event ended with Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”.
