USINPAC hosted a reception a day after Prime Minister Modi’s speech at Madison Square Garden for Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard. The agenda of the reception was to meet the only Hindu American member of the US Congress and hear her recount her first hand experience of meeting Modi. Congresswoman Gabbard promised Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lead an effort towards a Congressional resolution in support of International Yoga Day proposed by him. She also gave Modi her personal copy of the Bhagavad-Gita, which she has had since she was a child and was “a source of courage and comfort” during her two tours of duty in the Middle East as a soldier, and which she used to take her Congressional Oath of Office. Gabbard also presented Modi with a ginger flower garland from her home state of Hawaii, which Modi pointed out was a tradition in India as well.

During their meeting, the two spoke of the priorities shared by India and the US, including defeating the threat posed by ISIS and other Islamic extremists, cooperating to address environmental concerns, and maximizing economic opportunities.