Visiting In addition to announcing the imminent opening of a new consulate in Brisbane, Prime Minister Narendra Modi complimented his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese for renaming Sydney’s Harris Park as “Little India.”
“Friends, I want to make an announcement now that I am here with you. In his address to the more than 20,000 members of the Indian community assembled at the Qudos Bank Arena Stadium, Modi promised to soon fulfil a long-standing demand of the Indian community in Brisbane.
He also expressed gratitude to his Albanese for renaming Sydney’s Harris Park “Little India.” When Albanese made the announcement at the community event designating Harris Park as “Little India,” Modi said, “Thank you, my friend Anthony.
“In Ahmedabad, I got the chance to greet Prime Minister @AlboMP ji on Indian soil. PM @narendramodi joined me in laying the cornerstone of ‘Little India’ here today,” the prime minister previously tweeted.
With 45% of its 5,043 citizens having Indian ancestry, Harris Park is affectionately known as “Little India” and is home to numerous well-known Indian restaurants and shops. The diaspora population in the western Sydney suburb had re-invigorated calls for the designation of their neighbourhood as “Little India.”
Little India was first offered as an official name for the neighbourhood by Indian shop owners in 2015. They thought the name would help their businesses. According to the Australian government website, Harris Park has a sizable Indian population and is well regarded as a top location for Indian cuisine and small and mid-sized businesses owned and operated by Indians.
