Robbinsville, Aug 23 (IANS) In a New Jersey hall filled with Gujarati families, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel looked back more than two decades to explain why his state believes it can see around economic corners.
Few were thinking about a global investment summit when Gujarat conceived Vibrant Gujarat in 2003, Patel said. The state moved early and was now collecting the rewards.
“At that time, nobody would have imagined that Vibrant Gujarat could become a platform for investment,” Patel said in Gujarati. “Gujarat thought about it then, and today we are receiving its benefits.”
Hours later, amid the intricately carved stone and devotional calm of the BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham in Robbinsville, Patel encountered a different expression of Gujarat’s ambitions. It was not a story of factories, financial centres or technology parks, but of a monument to Indian culture built largely through volunteer labour.
The two engagements offered contrasting scenes from the chief minister’s New Jersey visit.
The first, at the Carteret Performing Arts and Events Center, brought Patel before the Indian-American Gujarati community. The second took him through one of North America’s most prominent Hindu complexes and into a museum still under construction.
In Carteret, Patel spoke about the long arc of Gujarat’s development. He pointed to GIFT City as another idea pursued before its full potential was widely understood.
“In the same way, Gujarat could think of GIFT City as a global financial technology city,” he said.
Patel said Gujarat had prepared a development roadmap through 2047. The plan divides the state into six zones, identifies focus sectors for each and establishes targets for their future contribution.
He presented policy, transparency and infrastructure as the foundations of Gujarat’s appeal to investors.
“If development has to take place, infrastructure is necessary,” Patel said, crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi with laying a strong foundation for the state’s growth.
The chief minister also spoke about the responsibilities of Gujaratis who had built lives in the United States. Their success, he suggested, should strengthen their adopted country while sustaining their connection with India.
“Wherever we live, we must contribute strongly to that country,” Patel said.
He urged the community to bring investment, knowledge and experience to Gujarat as the state works towards Modi’s goal of a developed India by 2047.
At Akshardham, the vocabulary shifted from investment and industrial policy to heritage, spirituality and service.
Brahmavihari Swami, senior BAPS leader who leads the Internal Public Affairs for the organization, said Patel was struck by the scale of the mandir, the detail of its carvings and the stillness of its surroundings.
“He was deeply touched by the serene and spiritual environment,” Brahmavihari Swami told IANS.
He said Patel observed that anyone coming from anywhere in the world would find peace there.
The chief minister also previewed the 100,000-square-foot Swaminarayan Akshardham Museum. The planned educational experience will have 85 immersive dioramas, 40 multimedia presentations and 200 lifelike statues. Its exhibits will explore Hindu civilisation, spirituality, science, architecture and values.
Displays include representations of Dholavira, Rani ki Vav, a Gujarat haveli and the Konark wheel.
“Again, the first words that came out, he said that you brought India’s culture back to life,” Brahmavihari Swami said.
Patel had come to the United States to promote Vibrant Gujarat. Inside the unfinished museum, he found another meaning for the word.
“This is where the culture of India is vibrant,” Patel said, according to Brahmavihari Swami.
The museum is being completed with help from volunteers drawn from different professions and generations. Students, engineers, contractors and business owners have travelled to New Jersey, worked long days and rearranged professional and family responsibilities to help finish the project.
The Akshardham complex was formally inaugurated in October 2023 after contributions from more than 12,500 volunteers.
–IANS
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