PM Modi welcomed with Vedic chants at Sydney stadium

SYDNEY: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was greeted at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney Olympic Park with Vedic chanting and other traditional types of welcome as he arrived in the company of Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese to address Indian diaspora at a community event in the Australian city.

After a traditional welcome, PM Modi and Albanese greeted each other with a warm hug and walked into Sydney's biggest stadium to reverberating cheers.

He was also welcomed in India traditions. Priests were present at the event and chanted prayers.

A cultural program was held at the Qudos Bank Arena. Various cultural performances were performed by various artists. Bharatnatyam, Garba and other dance forms were performed at the event.

Members of the Indian diaspora expressed their excitement at attending the event. Modi is visiting Australia for the first time in nine years. He last visited the country in 2014.

An attendee Shashi Prabha said, "All of us are excited for PM Modi to arrive. That is the most important thing for us at the moment."

Earlier, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that a chartered Qantas flight rebranded as "Modi Airways" was in Melbourne to bring fans to Sydney and "Modi Express" buses are being chartered from Queensland.

The plane full of Indians from across Australia arrived this morning in Sydney for the diaspora event According to ABC, PM Modi will address a rally which is expected to draw a crowd of up to 20,000 people who are hoping to catch a glimpse or listen to him.

Prime Minister Modi arrived in Sydney on Monday as part of the third and final leg of his three-nation visit after concluding his visit to Papua New Guinea. PM Modi was received by Australian High Commissioner to India Barry O'Farrell and other officials upon his arrival in Sydney.

Earlier today, he met different Sydney-based CEOs and highlighted "transformative reforms and initiatives" taken by his government and India's credentials as one of the most preferred major economies for foreign investments in the world.

He also met certain prominent figures of the country including artists and those working in science, artificial intelligence, art and music.