From Meenakari brooch to Black Pottery pieces: How PM Modi picks gifts for world leaders

From Meenakari brooch to Black Pottery pieces: How PM Modi picks gifts for world leaders

Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented world leaders attending the G7 summit with beautiful gifts displaying India’s rich art and crafts. But who picks the presents? We take a look

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From Meenakari brooch to Black Pottery pieces: How PM Modi picks gifts for world leaders

Prime Minister Narendra Modi left an indelible mark at the G7 summit where he was invited by Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

On the sidelines of the summit, he also met with his counterparts from the United Kingdom, Japan and Italy and exchanged views on a range of issues.

Modi also met European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and held productive discussions as the two leaders reviewed the India-EU cooperation in trade, investment, technology and climate action, and exchanged views on contemporary global and regional developments.

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The prime minister is now on his way to the United Arab Emirates, with the Ministry of External Affairs tweeting: “PM @narendramodi concludes his visit to Germany for the G7 Summit, wrapping up two days of productive discussions on sustainable solutions to global challenges, PM Modi now emplanes for Abu Dhabi for a brief stopover before reaching New Delhi.”

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Before his departure from Germany, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also showered beautiful gifts to the world leaders — from a Gulabi Meenakari brooch, Black Pottery to even a Zari Zardozi box.

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Also read: Mongolian horse, potatoes, and sperm whale’s tooth: A guide to gifting by world leaders

Here’s a detailed view of each gift that Modi gave to his counterparts and also how India carries out gift diplomacy and the process that goes into it.

Gulabi Meenakari brooch and cufflink

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted United States president Joe Biden with a beautiful Gulabi Meenakari brooch and cufflink. Gulabi Meenakari is an art-form of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. While the cufflink is for the US president, the brooch is meant for US first lady Jill Biden.

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Metal Marodi carving matka

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This nickel-coated, hand-engraved brass vessel, a masterpiece from Moradabad, was given to Chancellor Olaf Scholz by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

After casting the pot, the design that has to be engraved is first sketched on paper. An outline of the whole design is done with a fine engraving tool hammered with a wooden block. This particular type of engraving is called Marodi, owing to the curved lines used to fill up negative space in this design.

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Platinum painted hand-painted tea set

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave this platinum painted tea set from Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandhshahr district to United Kingdom’s Boris Johnson. The base form is hand painted and fired at 1200 degrees Celsius. The embossed outlines are laid on manually with mehndi cone work and requires an extremely confident hand. The crockery has been outlined with platinum metal paint in honour of the Queen’s platinum jubilee being celebrated this year.

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Itr bottles in Zardozi box

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The prime minister gifted Itr bottles in a zardozi box from Lucknow, UP to France’s Emmanuel Macron. The Zari Zardozi box has been hand embroidered on khadi silk and satin tissue in colours of the French National Flag.

The motifs are traditional Indo-Persian, lotus flowers hand embroidered with metal wire in blue and a pendant used in Kashmiri carpets and motifs from Awadhi architecture.

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The box has Attar Mitti, jasmine oil, Attar Shamama, Attar Gulab, Exotic Musk and Garam Masala.

Hand-knotted silk carpet

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Narendra Modi presented Canada’s Justin Trudeau with this attractive hand-knotted silk carpet. This art form is known all over the world for their softness and craftsmanship. The Kashmiri silk carpets are made predominantly in Srinagar. These exquisite creations are hand-knotted on the warp threads, one at a time, in accordance to a strict code of colours in the order of their appearance in the pattern. The knotted product is clipped with shears to smoothness, and then treated with several brightening processes.

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Marble inlay table top

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For Italy prime minister Mario Draghi, PM Modi had taken a Marble Inlay table top to Germany. This marble table top with inlay work has its origin in Agra. Made of semi-precious stones with gradients in their colour, this table top is very similar to Italian marble inlay work.

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Black Pottery pieces

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Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida received Black Pottery pieces made in Nizamabad. A special technique was used to bring out black colours – by ensuring that there is no scope for oxygen to enter the oven and the heat level remains high when the pottery is inside the oven.

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Lacquer ware Ram Durbar

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Narendra Modi gave this GI-tagged lacquerware art-form to Indonesia’s Joko Widodo. Made in Varanasi, the wooden statues of gods, goddesses and sacred animals serve as coveted souvenirs taken back by pilgrims. The principal characters in the artwork are Shri Ram, Goddess Sita, Lord Hanuman and Jatayu.

Dokra Art with Ramayana Theme

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South African president Cyril Ramaphosa got Dokra Art with the Ramayana theme. This non–ferrous metal casting art has been used in India for over 4,000 years.

This particular art-piece from Chattisgarh is based on the Ramayan theme. The principal characters in the artwork are Lord Shri Ram riding an Elephant along with Lakshman, Goddess Sita and Lord Hanuman.

Nandi-themed Dokra art

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Agentina’s Alberto Fernández was gifted Nandi-themed Dokra art. These pieces are in great demand in domestic and foreign markets because of primitive simplicity, enchanting folk motifs and forceful form. This particular art-piece from Chattisgarh is a figure of ‘Nandi – The Meditative Bull’. According to Hindu mythology, Nandi is considered as the vehicle (mount) of Lord Shiva, the lord of destruction.

Moonj baskets and cotton durries

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PM Modi gifted Moonj baskets and cotton durries from Sitapur, UP to Senegal president Macky Sall. In Senegal, tradition of hand weaving is passed down from mother to daughter, adding to its importance as a vehicle for cultural expression and family livelihood, driven by strong women.

Like Senegalese baskets, Moonj craft also utilises bright, jewel tone colours. This particular piece is by a master craftswoman from Prayagraj. The blades of the sarpat grass used here are much thinner, making them more difficult to weave.

How are these gifts selected?

As per a RTI reply, the gifts given to world dignitaries is divided into five categories — Head of State, minister, secretary, official & pool level.

In the past eight years of the Narendra Modi government, choicest of gifts have been picked, often reflective of the relationship between India and the receiving country, while signifying the nation’s rich cultural heritage.

As per reports, the MEA is consulted on the matter of gifts given to world dignitaries.

According to a report in The Quint, there are monetary ceilings for the purchase of gift items for each category and these ceilings are approved by the Ministry of Finance. These ceilings have been effective since May 2010.

However, the MEA refuses to reveal information on these ceilings. The MEA believes that disclosure of ceilings may cause embarrassment to both India and the receiving government.

On the other hand, gifts received by Narendra Modi and other ministers and officials from the Indian government are kept with the Toshakhana, the Centre’s depository of gifts.

The history of the Toshakhana comes from the Mughal period where gifts were placed. Under British colonial rule, the officials of East India Company were not allowed to accept diplomatic gifts, often weapons or jewels known as khilat, from Indian or Middle Eastern rulers and their subjects. When procedure required that the officials received such a khilat, the official would deposit it in the company’s treasury (toshakhana).

As per protocol, the MEA then carries out a valuation of the presents and those worth less than Rs 5,000 are allowed to be kept by the recipient.

The S_outh Asia Monitor_ reports that since Modi took office in 2014, at least 230 Indian officials have received around 2,800 gifts till 2021. If sold in the market, they could fetch India over a million dollars.

Gift giving by other countries

In the United States, the Gift Office within the Office of the Chief of Protocol receives all diplomatic gifts on behalf of White House and Department of State officials and maintains records pertaining to diplomatic gifts.

Working closely with the Chief of Protocol and the staffs of the president, the vice president, and the secretary of state, the Gift Office also helps select the gifts presented to foreign dignitaries.

Even the United Kingdom has a policy of public disclosure of all the gifts given and received by the Prime Minister of UK.

With inputs from agencies

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