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PM Modi Story (Narrated by: CK Patel, NRI- USA)
Pm Shri Narendra Modi always had the idea of setting up a vibrant economic hub in India – which he realised as the Gift City in Gujarat. One of his colleagues relate a visit of his to US in the 1990s as a referral point for this project.
According to Shri CK Patel, a businessman from Gujarat based in the US, Shri Modi was very curious about the central business district of Los Angeles, when he travelled to US in the 1997. “One night, I took him to Downtown Los Angeles. During that walk, the vision for Gift City began to take shape. As we explored the area, Narendrabhai said ‘Downtown is a concentrated area with skyscrapers. This is where the economy thrives, with banks, corporate offices, and large institutions driving the city,” Shri Patel added.
What Shri Narendra Modi saw in the US likely sowed the seeds for what would later become the Gift City in Gujarat, according to Shri Patel. He said when he accompanied Shri Modi to the seashore in Los Angeles, Shri Modi saw high-rise buildings, tourists, and bustling restaurants. He asked him, “Why can’t we develop (Gujarat) in the same way. It too has a vast coastline like here”.
“It was fascinating to see how Shri Modi connected everything he saw in the US to the potential development of India. Whenever he saw something new, he would ask questions, and link it to how it could be beneficial back home,” Shri Patel said.
There was another incident that Shri Patel recalls while they were driving. Shri Narendra Modi heard a weird sound when the car moved slightly offside. “Curious, he asked me, ‘What is that sound? It’s similar to the noise you hear during a flat tyre. Why is it happening?’”.
“I explained to him that there were no issues with the tyres. In the US, roads are built in a way that the vehicles start making a sound when they start drifting off the road,” Shri Patel said. Shri Modi has always been very curious about new technologies and wanted to know how those roads were built.