PM Narendra Modi with President Vladimir Putin, PIB/Wikimedia Commons, GODL-India
PM Modi’s Thirukkural gift to Putin highlights Delhi bilateral
PM Modi and Russian President Putin held bilateral talks in Delhi on September 11 ahead of the BRICS Summit, with Modi gifting Putin a Russian translation of the Tamil classic Thirukkural.
A Russian translation of the Thirukkural was the standout gift as Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi on Friday.
The bilateral talks were held ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit, with Modi saying he was confident the gift would strengthen people-to-people ties.
The Thirukkural, a classical Tamil text of 1,330 couplets by poet-saint Thiruvalluvar, was written roughly two thousand years ago.
Discussions between the two leaders covered trade, industry, energy, mobility and critical resources, including cooperation in the rail sector and steel value chain.
Putin’s Delhi visit comes ahead of the BRICS Summit, which India is hosting on September 12 and 13.
Business-to-business opportunities between Indian and Russian companies were also on the agenda during the wide-ranging talks.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, with several other world leaders also arriving in Delhi over the same period.
Security for the summit period has been tightened significantly across Delhi, with thousands of personnel deployed and airspace restrictions in effect.
India-Russia relations span decades of defence, energy and diplomatic cooperation, with the two countries holding regular bilateral summits.
The two leaders have met on multiple occasions in recent years, both at bilateral summits and on the sidelines of multilateral forums such as BRICS and the SCO.
Officials from both sides were expected to hold follow-up working-level discussions in the weeks after the summit to translate the leaders’ talks into concrete agreements.
India has traditionally balanced its ties with Russia alongside its relationships with Western partners, a dynamic that continues to shape its foreign policy approach.
Putin arrived in New Delhi on Friday ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit, which India is hosting on September 12 and 13.
The Thirukkural, attributed to the Tamil poet-saint Thiruvalluvar, comprises 1,330 two-line couplets offering guidance on virtue, wealth and statecraft, written roughly two thousand years ago.
PM Narendra Modi with President Vladimir Putin, PIB/Wikimedia Commons, GODL-India