Prime Minister Narendra Modi will become the second Indian Prime Minister to visit California with his trip to Silicon Valley in September this year.
Former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had visited San Francisco in 1949. Nehru's visit to the western state of the United States was a political one because of the growing political activism at that time. However, Modi's visit to San Francisco Bay Area is said to be business-oriented.
Also, the large population of Indians in the Pacific US state is another apparent reason that Modi has chosen California. In San Francisco, Modi is likely to receive a grand reception from the Indian diaspora either at San Francisco's Cow Palace or AT&T Park, The Times of India reported.
Expectations from Modi's California visit
With Modi's September visit, those into business expects him to focus not just on the grand brands such as Google, Intel, HP, Oracle, Facebook and Twitter, but also to the other start-ups as Silicon Valley is considered a hub for start-up companies.
Moreover, a survey reveals that 15% start-up companies in Silicon Valley have Indians as founders or co-founders.
''I hope his time is not monopolised by billionaires and big companies. Silicon Valley is so much more than that. It is the culture of start-ups and the enabling ecosystem that makes it what it is,'' said Vinod Dham, a former Intel vice-president. Dham is also known as the Father of the Pentium chip.
Not the first bilateral trips as PM
As the Prime Minister of India, Modi has made several trips abroad ever since he took to power in May 2014. These include the neighbouring South Asian countries, besides European and Central Asian nations.
During his bilateral visits to these nations, Modi marked several milestones in his political career as well as the history of Indian politics. His Nepal visit was the first bilateral trip by an Indian Prime Minister in the last 17 years.
And with his upcoming trip to Israel later this year, Modi will be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the country.
