- Wednesday, May 07, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi, who landed at JF Kennedy Airport in New York on Tuesday (20) for a four-day state visit to the US, had an eventful stay in the Big Apple.
Here are some high points of Modi’s engagements in New York on Tuesday and Wednesday (21) that included participation in a yoga session at the headquarters of the United Nations on the occasion of the International Day of Yoga.
Modi on Tuesday evening met the chief executive of Tesla, Elon Musk, who said he had a “very good” conversation with the Indian leader and that the electric vehicle giant will try to be in India “as soon as humanly possible”.
Musk, who also owns Twitter, said he is a fan of Modi and asserted that India has more promise than any other large country and he is incredibly excited about its future. He also said that Twitter does not have any other option but to follow the local rules or else it would get shut down.
It was the duo’s second meeting in the US after 2015 when Modi visited Tesla Motors factory in California.
Great meeting you today @elonmusk! We had multifaceted conversations on issues ranging from energy to spirituality. https://t.co/r0mzwNbTyN pic.twitter.com/IVwOy5SlMV
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 21, 2023
The Indian leader met essayist and statistician Nassim Nicholas Taleb and held with him bilateral talks. The latter, a well-known professor of risk engineering at New York University’s School of Engineering, presented his book ‘Skin in the Game’ to Modi as a gift.
#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Essayist and Statistician Professor Nassim Nicholas Taleb in New York. pic.twitter.com/pT10pfeifB
— ANI (@ANI) June 20, 2023
Modi also held talks with Thurman, an author and academic who is known for being the first endowed chair in Buddhist Studies in the West. He is also the co-founder and president of Tibet House in New York.
#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Author and Academic Professor Robert Thurman, in New York. pic.twitter.com/VsOjF4Bkbq
— ANI (@ANI) June 20, 2023
Prime minister Modi, who received a warm welcome from members of the Indian diaspora on reaching New York, also interacted with a group of eminent academics from the US who hail from diverse fields of agriculture, health marketing, engineering, science and technology. Among the luminaries meeting Modi was Nobel laureate Dr Peter Agre.
In New York City, held an extensive interaction with a group of academics. They shared their views on how to further strengthen the education sector in India with a focus on skills and innovation. I talked about the transformative potential of our National Education Policy. pic.twitter.com/SZFvsxYvIZ
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 21, 2023
Had an informative discussion with a group of healthcare experts. They shared their rich perspectives on ways to augment healthcare capacities in India. I told them about the work we have done in integrating latest technology in the sector and our efforts like TB elimination. pic.twitter.com/vvRdyzGkAP
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 21, 2023
Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson of the Indian external affairs ministry, later said on Twitter, “Energising India-US knowledge partnership. PM @narendramodi interacted with a group of eminent US academics hailing from diverse fields of agriculture, marketing, engineering, health, science & technology.”
“Talks focused on possibilities of enhancing research collaborations and two-way academic exchanges under India’s New Education Policy. Academics also shared perspectives and experiences from their respective areas of expertise,” he added.
Giving a filip to ??-?? health cooperation.
PM @narendramodi held wide-ranging conversation with a group of leading US experts from the health sector.
Discussed various matters pertaining to the domain of health including use of digital technologies for quality healthcare,… pic.twitter.com/6EvSfN5XyW
— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) June 21, 2023
Modi also met some of the US’s top thought leaders, including leading economist and Nobel laureate Prof Paul Romer, investor and co-founder of the hedge fund. The duo spoke over India’s digital journey, including the use of Aadhar and innovative tools such as Digilocker. They also talked over various initiatives being undertaken in India for urban development.
Glad to have met noted economist and Nobel laureate, Professor @paulmromer. We had extensive conversations on leveraging technology to improve lives. We also talked about how to make our cities more sustainable and people friendly. pic.twitter.com/OG3NhLi9CT
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 21, 2023
Modi also met Bridgewater Associates’ Ray Dalio and highlighted during their talks reforms that his government has undertaken to bolster India’s economic growth, including decreasing compliances and decriminalising several legal provisions.
Modi also invited Dalio for investing further in India.
Met my friend, the distinguished author and investor @RayDalio. Urged him to deepen investments in India and also talked about the reform trajectory of our Government. pic.twitter.com/sgM9JSPtQn
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 21, 2023
In a first, Modi led a yoga event at the UN headquarters in New York where he said in his address that yoga is free from copyright, patents and royalties and that it is a way of life. The event, which took place at the North Lawn of the UN building, was attended by several distinguished guests from various fields such as diplomacy, art, science, academics, entertainment, politics and business.
The mayor of New York, Eric Adams, and Indian actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas were also among the guests besides many other dignitaries.
A phenomenal #IDY2023!
Thousands of Yoga enthusiasts from 135 nationalities joined PM @narendramodi for the 9th International Day of Yoga celebrations at @UN HQ, setting a Guinness World Record for participation by maximum number of nationalities in a Yoga Session.
This is… pic.twitter.com/UqHzeF8ovi— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) June 21, 2023
The programme also created a Guinness world record for people of most nationalities doing yoga together. One-hundred and thirty-five nationalities participated in the event, breaking the earlier record of 114 nationalities.
Modi also paid respects to a bust of Mahatma Gandhi which was installed during India’s presidency of the UN Security Council in December last year as a gift from the South Asian nation to the global body.
Yoga for peace, Yoga for harmony!
Ahead of the #IDY2023 event, PM @narendramodi paid heartfelt tributes at the Wall of Peace and the Mahatma Gandhi Statue situated in the north lawns of @UN HQ.The message of peace and harmony embodies the spirit of Yoga. pic.twitter.com/GgMkx5J8p8
— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) June 21, 2023
Modi also paid tributes at the Wall of Peace at the UN headquarters. In a tweet, he said, “We honor and remember the brave peacekeepers who gave their lives for a more peaceful world. Their selfless service will never be forgotten.”
Humbled to pay my tributes at the Wall of Peace at the @UN HQ today. We honor and remember the brave peacekeepers who gave their lives for a more peaceful world. Their selfless service will never be forgotten. pic.twitter.com/FHCvV1x5yl
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 21, 2023
From New York, Modi left for Washington DC for his state visit at the White House.
