PM Narendra Modi greets the gathering at the SAP Center in San Jose (Reuters photo)
San Jose:
Praising the Indian community for its achievements in Silicon Valley, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said brain drain was in fact 'brain deposit' that would serve India at an appropriate time.
"Brain drain can become brain gain... This is actually brain deposit and it would serve its motherland at an appropriate time - with interest," PM Modi told a wildly-cheering, 18,000-strong audience from the Indian community at the SAP Center in San Jose, in a reminder of the rock star reception that he received at the Madison Square Garden in New York last year.
As chants of 'Modi Modi' reverberated through the indoor sports arena, the PM lavished praise on the audience made up of many IT professionals. "Your fingers have created magic on the keyboard and the computer and this gave India a new identity. Your skill and commitment is wonderful."
California has the largest population of non-resident Indians in the US, with a heavy concentration of them in the Bay Area.
"I am coming to California after 25 years. A lot has changed. Many new faces that I see. I can feel in California the image of vibrant India," said Mr Modi, 65, who is the first Indian prime minister to visit Silicon Valley in 33 years.
The event in San Jose wrapped up the PM's whirlwind tour of the West Coast over the weekend where he interacted with top tech chiefs, including India-born Satya Nadella of Microsoft and Sundar Pichai of Google, sharing his plans for Digital India, which seeks to connect thousands more villages to the Internet.
"Brain drain can become brain gain... This is actually brain deposit and it would serve its motherland at an appropriate time - with interest," PM Modi told a wildly-cheering, 18,000-strong audience from the Indian community at the SAP Center in San Jose, in a reminder of the rock star reception that he received at the Madison Square Garden in New York last year.
As chants of 'Modi Modi' reverberated through the indoor sports arena, the PM lavished praise on the audience made up of many IT professionals. "Your fingers have created magic on the keyboard and the computer and this gave India a new identity. Your skill and commitment is wonderful."
California has the largest population of non-resident Indians in the US, with a heavy concentration of them in the Bay Area.
"I am coming to California after 25 years. A lot has changed. Many new faces that I see. I can feel in California the image of vibrant India," said Mr Modi, 65, who is the first Indian prime minister to visit Silicon Valley in 33 years.
The event in San Jose wrapped up the PM's whirlwind tour of the West Coast over the weekend where he interacted with top tech chiefs, including India-born Satya Nadella of Microsoft and Sundar Pichai of Google, sharing his plans for Digital India, which seeks to connect thousands more villages to the Internet.
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