Over 200 Indians have caught the Modi Express – a 12-hour train journey from Melbourne to Sydney to hear Indian prime minister Narendra Modi speak.
President of the Indian Tamil organisation Tamilar, Ganesh Jaygan, said he fully supported the Hindu prime minister.
“No leader since Mahatma Gandhi has captured the imagination of the nation and the international polity as Narendra Modi has done,” he said.
Four carriages of the Melbourne-Sydney train were festooned with the colours of the Indian flag, while mango leaves were hung over doorways – an important Hindu ritual.
Dancing, singing, and the constant chant of “Modi, Modi, Modi” echoed into the night, while traditional vegetarian dishes from Mr Modi’s home state of Gujarat were served to appreciative passengers.
Many of these Indians who now call Australia home did not know each other before getting on board the train, but easily forged friendships under a common bond.
The idea of the Modi Express was born just weeks ago when Melbourne-based supporters of Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) decided to make the trip to Sydney for the prime ministerial address.
Organiser Ashwin Bora said the response had been overwhelming.
“To be honest with you, we were expecting a basic journey from point A to point B but what has turned out is basically a full-on party – people are really enthusiastic to hear from their prime minister in this country after 28 long years,” he said.
On the other hand, at the same time, Minority communities including Sikhs and Kashmiris have organised a peaceful protest outside Sydney Olympic Park today as well. Over 500 people will be protesting there today.