India Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Pic: AP.

Rare visit by Indian prime minister enthralls Silicon Valley

Narendra Modi. Pic: AP.

Narendra Modi. Pic: AP.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A rare visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi this weekend has captivated his extensive fan club in Silicon Valley and commanded the attention of major U.S. technology companies eager to extend their reach into a promising overseas market.

It will also give Modi an opportunity use the world’s high-tech capital as a pulpit to promote his plan to transform India into a hub of innovation.

He is due to dine Saturday with a list of CEOs that includes Apple’s Tim Cook and two native Indians, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella and Google’s Sundar Pichai. His itinerary also includes a town hall alongside Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Sunday.

His appearance Sunday at a free community event in San Jose, California will pack an arena with 18,000 seats.