Narendra Modi, India’s new prime minister, will receive a rally fit for a rock star at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. His rags-to-riches story mirrors the rise ofGujarat, the Indian state that he governed and that gave him and his Bharatiya Janata Party a landslide victory in India’s general election in May. His new profile has also allowed him to return to the United States for the first time in more than two decades; the State Department had revoked his visa in 2005 over his alleged role in deadly religious riots in Gujarat three years earlier.

For Mr. Modi and his supporters, the visit, which includes a speech before the United Nations General Assembly and a meeting with President Obama, is also a moment to connect with members of the broad Indian diaspora in the United States, many of whom watched with embarrassment from afar as India’s economic engine sputtered and corruption scandals plagued Mr. Modi’s rivals in the Indian National Congress party, which has governed India for most of its postcolonial history.

“Prime Minister Modi’s message will be refreshing — what role Indian-Americans can play promoting a relationship between two great stories,” said Dr. Bharat Barai, a longtime friend of Mr. Modi’s who helped arrange his visit.

Many Indians in the United States see Mr. Modi as India’s savior: a strong leader who has pledged to cut through red tape, stamp out corruption, revive India’s economy and restore pride.

Of the more than 1,700 Indians living in the United States who responded to a New York Times questionnaire, a majority expressed excitement and hope about Mr. Modi’s visit, saying they expected him to resurrect the narrative of India as a rising global power and strengthen relations between the two countries.

“Modi’s trip will jump-start the process of restoring respect and admiration for Indian civilization,” wrote one respondent, Sant Gupta, 66, of Virginia.

“Modi's upcoming trip brings a ray of hope for American Indians like me who face a conflicting reality of being part of one of the most successful and prosperous communities in the United States, and yet we carry the legacy of a poor third-world country and face biases in our adopted homeland. Modi brings hope of change in India which will help Indians have better self-esteem and image in the United States.”

Manisha Verma, who lives in San Jose, Calif., has family from Ranchi, Jharkhand.

David Fuller's view

Modi has brought hope to citizens from all backgrounds in India, and he is also an inspirational figure for ex-pat Indians living all over the world.  I would not underestimate him. 

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India’s Mumbai SENSEX Index is susceptible to some mean reversion towards the 200-day (40-week) MA, if Wall Street’s correction is extended, as seems likely.  That would provide another opportunity for those who share my bullish long-term view of India and favour purchases on setbacks towards the MA.   

See also: Investors have good reason to back India’s Modi miracle, by Tom Stevenson of Fidelity Personal Investing for The Telegraph.