He also updated the diaspora via meetings and teleconferences with the Overseas Friends of BJP and C.B. Patel, sharing updates on Gujarat and security in Jammu and Kashmir. “Terrorism is an evil against humanity — whether in India, the Middle East, or Northern Ireland,” Modi said — a full year before 9/11, when terrorism had yet to be seen as a global threat.

In August 2003, two years after the Bhuj earthquake, Modi returned to the UK as Chief Minister of Gujarat. The visit was to thank the diaspora for their tremendous support. At Wembley Conference Centre, he told a packed hall: “We have slept in the street of death. Today I have come to repay a debt of friendship to those who helped us in our hour of need.”

He praised the diaspora’s emotional and financial contributions, calling them “true friends of Gujarat.” He also inaugurated Shakti Hall at the Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice offices, and delivered one of his most memorable quotes: “IT is not Information Technology. IT is India Today. BT is not Biotechnology. It is Bharat Today. IT and IT equals IT — Information Technology and Indian Talent is India Tomorrow.”

The visit included a meeting with then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and another with community leaders near Westminster Bridge. In 2011, during Gujarat’s golden jubilee, Modi virtually addressed a UK audience from Gandhinagar, stating: “The name Gujarat and development are synonymous. Gujarat is creating history.”

The event in Mayfair, London, co-hosted by Friends of Gujarat, Gujarat Samachar, and Asian Voice, brought together 90 high-profile guests including MPs and Lords. Among them was Lord Gulam Noon, who exchanged views with Modi in a lively interaction.

Modi also announced the Mahatma Mandir project — a tribute to Gandhi built from soil collected across Gujarat and from the global diaspora, including the UK. “We have collected earth from 18,000 villages in Gujarat. We have also collected earth from abroad — especially the UK,” he said. The message was clear: Modi never saw the diaspora as passive observers.

They have always been active stakeholders in India’s growth — partners in progress and powerful amplifiers of India’s global image. Now, as Prime Minister, Narendra Modi continues to honour and elevate the contributions of overseas Indians in deepening people-to-people ties and advancing India’s global standing.