Narendra Modi recently attended the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Schloss Elmau, Germany which was held from June 26 to June 28. The event brought together the leaders of all the countries in the group to discuss pressing problems such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and climate change. One of the highlights of the event was the traditional Indian art and craft items that the Indian prime minister presented to the other leaders.
The items ranged from black pottery pieces from Uttar Pradesh to Kashmiri carpets which bring forward the rich traditional art and culture of India. According to media sources most of the gifts came from the land of Uttar Pradesh.
Joe Biden, the American president received a gulabi meenakari, a metal art piece made in Uttar Pradesh. Modi also gifted him a matching brooch and cufflink set for him and his wife. According to media sources, Meenakari is an art form which involves molding a piece of silver to base form and then, embossing designs on the metal, using it as a canvas. Media sources added that the specialty of a meenakari is the meena as it acts as a base for the designs.
Black pottery pieces from the city of Nizamabad, were gifted to the Japanese prime minister Fumio Kashida and the French president Emmanuel Macron received a zardari box containing bottles of ittar (natural perfume). Media sources said that the box had hand embroided designs on khadi silk and satin tissue arranged as per the colors of the French flag. They added that the box contained a special ittar from Kannauj.
Modi had brought a platinum-painted handmade tea set for the British prime minister, Boris Johnson and an Agra-crafted marble inlay table top for his Italian counterpart Mario Draghi. Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister received a carpet woven in Kashmir while the German chancellor Olaf Scholz received a metal matka (pot). According to sources the pot was sourced from Varanasi.
The Prime Minister had gifts for the guest leaders too. According to reports, Modi gifted cotton durries and moonj blanket to the Sengal president, a lacquer ware ram darbar to the Indonesian president and The South African president recived a dorka art piece( a type of metal casting art) with Ramayana theme.
G7 is a political forum which comprises of seven countries, namely, India, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom and United States. After the summit, Modi left for United Arab Emirates (UAE) to pay his condolences on the passing away of the former UAE president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as per media sources.