Updated
San Jose, Sep 28 (IANS): With a sea change in India's image thanks to 1.2 billion Indians, people are saying that the 21st century belongs to India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told a mammoth crowd of Indian diaspora here.
"Everybody agrees the 21st century is the century of Asia. But today, people say, the 21st century belongs to India," he said addressing a jam-packed San Jose SAP Centre on Sunday night.
"This change is not because of Modi, this change came because of 1.2 billion Indians," Modi said amid chants of his name.
Modi also saluted Indian techies for changing the image and perception of India with the magic of their fingers at the computers.
"Today there is a new image of India, a new perception of India in the world," he said.
"People are moved to change their perception of the old India," Modi said. "This is the magic of your fingers at the computers."
"Sitting here, with your innovations, you are compelling the world to change. And the people who refuse to change, are soon going to become irrelevant."
"The biggest thing, American citizens feel proud of is the people of Indian origin," Modi said. "I congratulate you for this, I salute you."
Earlier India's identity were the Upanishads, the prime minister said. Today in the field of science, India has made a new identity. India, he noted is the first country to be successful at Mars mission in its first attempt.
Amid loud chants of "Modi, Modi", the prime minister said: "I'll live for the country, I'll die for this country."
"Every moment of my life and every particle in my body, I will devote to the work of my country," he assured the crowd and asked, "Have I done good work? since he came to power 16 months ago. The crowd cheered in approval.
Taking a dig at opposition Congress, Modi said, "It doesn't take much for politicians to get allegations to their name. The people of India are sick of corruption."
"What can't the country do, which has the strength of 800 million young people. This country now, can not be left behind," Modi said.
"If in the 19th Century, my Sikh brothers came here as farmers and were restless for the independence of India. Today, in the 21st century, my countrymen will fight for India's poverty," he said.
Modi recalled his first trip to the US last year when he was given a rock star like reception by the Indian diaspora at the Madison Square Garden in New York.
As promised by the organisers, the Sunday night reception indeed rivalled that of the New York event.
"A Madison Square Garden moment for Silicon Valley. The SAP Center is jampacked as PM @narendramodi arrives," tweeted external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup.
The crowds chanted his name as the prime minister dressed in white kurta and churidars and a light cream Nehru jacket walked to the stage of San Jose's SAP arena.
Before he started speaking Modi was introduced to several US lawmakers from California, including the lone Indian American Congressman Ami Bera, whose parents hail from Gujarat and Democratic Minority leader and former House speaker Nancy Pelosi.
At the outset Modi paid tributes to Indian freedom revolutionary Shaheed Bhagat Singh on his birth anniversary and exhorted the crowd to respond to his call of "Vir Bhagat Singh" with "Amar Rahe Amar Rahe".
After Facebook, Modi visits 'Google Guru'
After his townhall style question-answer session at Facebook, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday visited the Google headquarters for an interaction with CEO Sundar Pichai, and Google co-founders Larry Page and Eric Schmidt.
"It's a visit to Google Guru, as the PM likes to call it, after the Facebook Q&A," tweeted PMO India.
"A is for Alphabet. PM @narendramodi at @Google headquarters, with Larry Page @sundarpichai and @ericschmidt," tweeted external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup.
Received by Pichai with a handshake, Modi was given a tour of the Googleplex in Mountain View, Santa Clara, and their four critical projects and their value for Digital India.
"From ground level to global. @sundarpichai explains navigational, safety and other uses of Street View & Google Earth," Swarup said.
Modi asked if Khagaul could be pinpointed on Google Earth. Khagaul near Patna is where the great Indian astronomer Aryabhatta had an observatory.
Modi was also shown a zoom-in picture of the Ganga river in Varanasi via Google Earth.
"A clear view of health. PM @narendramodi gets a view of Project Iris, smart lens that measure glucose levels," Swarup tweeted.
At Googleplex, Modi also witnessed the start of a 15-hour hackathon or a marathon software coding session with some 150 Indian programmers looking to produce software and applications relevant to India for Modi's Digital India and Skill India missions.
Hosted by the Indian IT industry trade body, the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), along with a clutch of start-ups in India and the US, the hackathon is having a simultaneous session at Tech Mahindra's Noida facility.
Later on Sunday night, Modi, who last year got a rockstar like reception at New York's Madison Square Garden, would be hoping to recreate that magic at a community reception in San Jose.
More than 45,000 people have registered for free passes for the event at the 19,000-seat SAP Centre organised by an Indian American group.
Earlier Report
Dream to make India $20 trillion economy: Modi at Facebook headquarters
San Jose (California), Sep 28 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said he dreamt of making India a $20 trillion economy and that he was pleasantly surprised by the change of perception about his country in a short period of time.
Attending a question and answer 'townhall' session with Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg at their office at Hackers Square here, the prime minister also said a lot had to be done to bridge the digital divide in India.
"We are an $8 trillion economy today. My dream is for India to become a $20 trillion dollar economy," Modi said, adding: "Amazing, how perception about India has changed in a very short time. We have brought in a new level of confidence."
Zuckerberg said India was personally very important to the history of Facebook.
"Early on, before things were going well, we saw Steve Jobs," he said, referring to the legendary chief executive of Apple Inc, now deceased.
Modi also sought to tell Zuckerberg that India has other things to offer as well.
"When you came to India, you went to a temple. And look where you have reached today," he said.
The Facebook chief had announced the Indian prime minister's visit on his page earlier this month and invited users to post questions. Tens of thousands of comments were made in reply, with questions on internet expansion in India, unemployment and also Modi's human rights record.
"We've received more than 40,000 questions for this town-hall," Zuckerberg said.
Typical to the US, a town hall meeting refers to an informal public event, open to all, where those who attend ask questions from invited guests, generally public figures or functionaries, and also give ideas and seek their grievances to be redressed.
Modi said that in the last one to one-and-half years, "the perception of India has changed a lot".
"If you look at tourism for example, India has tremendous potential. Technology has really helped the industry and has brought the world together," Modi said.
Prompted by Zuckerberg to talk about his experience of being an early adopter of internet in India, Modi said: "I did not have the privilege to become a very educated person growing up. My world could revolve around a few words.
"But social media has filled the gap for me," he said.
"You are associated with the service sector, and I have seen the power of it," Modi said.
Before the townhall began, Modi and Zuckerberg had a one-on-one meeting.
Patriotic songs like "Des Rangila Rangila" and "Dhoom Machale" from Bollywood films played in the hall.
The insights wall at the Facebook headquarters flashed about its 'India Connection'.
Earlier as Modi, dressed in a white shirt and black pants and a black Nehru jacket arrived for the townhall, he was greeted by Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan.
In the background, the music of "Chak De India" played to welcome Modi and the gathered crowd chanted "Modi, Modi".
At the usually very casual Facebook headquarters, Zuckerberg came dressed in a black suit and purple tie. There were many others also dressed in suits and ties.
Ahead of his interaction with Modi, Zuckerberg changed his profile picture to support 'Digital India'. Within minutes, Modi too changed his picture to thank him.
"I changed my profile picture to support Digital India, the Indian government's effort to connect rural communities to the internet and give people access to more services online. Looking forward to discussing this with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Facebook today," posted Zuckerberg on Facebook.
Within minutes, Modi also changed his profile picture to thank him.
Zuckerberg's new picture shows his side profile overlaid with the saffron, white and green colours of the Indian flag.
Modi's new picture shows his front with the colours of India similarly overlaid.
Modi gets emotional while recalling mother's hardships
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday became emotional while recalling the hardships his mother had to undergo, including washing utensils in neighbours' homes, to bring up her children.
Answering a question about the role of his mother at the Facebook townhall meeting, Modi said he hails from a humble and poor family.
"I sold tea in railway stations. It is hard to imagine that a tea seller has become the leader of the world's largest democracy. I salute the people of India who have made a commoner like me to this top position."
He said his father has died and his mother, who is now 90, is fit and does all her work by herself. Modi's mother's name is Hiraben, and she lives in Gujarat.
"She cannot read or write but keeps in touch with the news through the television," Modi said.
Recalling his tough childhood, Modi took long pauses, and his voice choked.
"When we were small, in order to make ends meet, my mother would wash utensils in neighbours homes. She used to clean the dishes, fill water, work as a labourer; you can imagine what a mother had to do to raise her children, the difficulties she went through.
"And this is not the case just of Narendra Modi. In India, there are hundreds and thousands of mothers like that who have sacrificed their entire life for their children. And that is why I salute all mothers."
"And their blessings will give us strength to remain on the right path. That is the mother's biggest strength, she will want that you become something but be focused on how you become that something, and that is the biggest contribution in a person's life; the role of a mother."
Modi later met Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg's parents, who were among the audience.