Cries of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ filled the air as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel inaugurated the India Pavilion at Hannover Messe here on Monday.

The huge crowd went berserk as Modi arrived at the Pavilion along with Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Merkel, who had come a tad earlier, accompanied them to the dais as the crowd chanted, ‘Modi, Modi’.

The trio then went around the large pavilion showcasing the ‘Make in India’ slogan splashed with a lavish array of colours. The walls highlighted what the country had to offer along with potential growth sectors, a list comprising automotive, energy, aerospace and many others.

State pavilions The first stopover for Modi and Merkel was the Gujarat pavilion followed quickly by Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. There are 14 states participating at Hannover Messe as part of the Prime Minister’s drive to create a far more decentralised structure within the country.

The Centre has specifically directed states to attract more investments as part of the Make in India drive, which will focus on giving a boost to manufacturing.

Traditionally, the favoured destinations have been Haryana, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, but increasingly, many more are keen to be part of the larger India story.

Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh are pulling out all stops to woo investors.

Corporate presence Corporate India had its share of heavyweights at the event. Tata Group Chairman Cyrus Mistry was seen chatting with Yashodhara Raje Scindia, Industries Minister of Madhya Pradesh, while Prashant Ruia made a stopover at the same pavilion soon after. Ajay Shriram, Gautam Adani, CK Birla, Raghupati Singhania and BK Goenka were other prominent names doing the rounds at Hannover Messe.

Clearly, Modi’s attempt to push India’s case on the global stage has got the thumbs-up from companies. Mohan Murti, Chief Representative Europe of Reliance Industries, said this initiative was long overdue.

According to him, India was not on the radar of most European companies for some years and it was important to send the right message now of its intent as a serious global player.

To that extent, Modi’s Make in India message has struck a chord at Hannover even though the real work starts now.

As he said in his earlier address at the Hannover Congress Centre on Sunday evening, “When the shutters come down (at Hannover Messe), I hope many new doors would have opened.” It is a sentiment that will be echoed by the 350 Indian companies participating at the show.

(The writer is in Hannover on an invitation from Volkswagen)

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