Million-dollar Bay Area address by PM in the works

5 entrepreneurs to accompany Modi to Silicon Valley

If Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Madison Square Garden address in New York last September was a $1.5-million event, the one coming up at Silicon Valley in the San Francisco Bay Area exactly one year later is estimated to cost close to $1 million. Home to many of the largest high-tech corporations and thousands of start-ups, the Valley is getting the finishing touches for Modi's reception at the SAP Center on September 27. Modi, who's likely to utilise the interaction to appeal to techies to contribute to his vision of 'Start-up India, Stand up India', will be the second Indian PM to visit the Bay Area after Jawaharlal Nehru did in 1949.

The seating capacity at the SAP Center is 18,000, but the number of people to register could touch 40,000, according to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s foreign affairs department in-charge Vijay Chauthaiwale. So, a lottery system would decide who will get to attend, said Chauthaiwale, who's in the Bay Area preparing for the show. BJP's national general-secretary Ram Madhav, too, is at the forefront managing the event that's important for Modi, who had spelt out his priority for start-ups from the ramparts of Red Fort on Independence Day.

To reiterate the start-up focus, heads of at least five start-ups who have provided tech solutions in the social sector are expected to accompany the PM. The list is likely to include a start-up that has come up with an inexpensive diagnostic machine that is currently being used in some government hospitals. There's also a plan to have a meeting between Modi and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Some other town hall meetings and one-on-ones are being finalised including with WhatsApp executives during Modi's one and a half day stay in the Bay Area.

Sponsors for the mega address are still being finalised. To ensure it remains a mass-based and community event, a limit has been set for financing it. "While the entry is free of cost, the event will be funded by several corporate groups and high net worth individuals,'' said a source. Without divulging the limit for each sponsor, he said: "The cap is a five-digit amount in US dollars, but not on the higher side.''

Around 500 welcome partners, organisations with mutual interests in the US and India have already signed up, according to Khanderao Kand, spokesperson of the Indo-American Community of West Coast, a newly-formed non-profit organisation managing the event. The partners range from alumni of educational institutes such as Indian Institutes of Technology and Indian Institute of Science Alumni to companies like L&T Infotech, Tech Mahindra, Cisco and Intel Capital and associations including Indians at Amazon, Indian Googler Network, Tie Silicon Valley, California Cricket and American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin.

Although the SAP Center event is expected to be similar to that at Madison Square, some of the people spearheading the show have changed. Chauthaiwale, though he insists he's not leading the initiative and only giving inputs to the local community, was not part of the Madison Square brigade. "Í came later, I have the experience of the Toronto event….'' In April, Modi had got a hero's welcome at Toronto's Ricoh Coliseum during his address to the Indo-Canadian community.

Volunteers are already on the job managing things. Around 70, most of them techies, are already there, and the number will go up to 200 for various errands. "We have been planning for three months, but there are things to be done still,'' said Kand. Besides, registrations and arrangements at the venue, the team is also coordinating with the Prime Minister's Office.

Modi's SAP Center address is likely to be moderated by a 'local talent'. Talks are also on for finalising the cultural programmes that will precede Modi's address at SAP Center, which is famous for San Jose Sharks. Seventy to 75 per cent of the passes will come through organisations registered for welcome partners, while the remaining 25-30 per cent will go to individuals.

Meanwhile, like anything else to do with Modi, who's a big user of social media, there's a crowd sourcing angle to his Silicon Valley address. "Tweet what would you like to hear Modi speak at SAP Center, San Jose, ….record a selfie video of less than one minute on your idea of India - on what India means to you. Upload to Facebook…,'' are among the posts seeking inputs.