A Muga silk stole for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a Madhubani painting with fish motif for Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, and a Ladakhi pure wool stole for Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson were some of the gifts presented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his just concluded five-nation tour.

Also Read | PM Modi returns to India after five-nation tour

During his trip, Mr. Modi also gifted Kesar mangoes and Meghalaya pineapples to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a replica of the ice axe used by Sherpa Tenzing Norgay to Iceland’s Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir and a Bidri silver work vase to Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen among others, officials said.

Mr. Modi visited the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Italy.

The Muga silk stole gifted to Ms. Meloni is a rare and prestigious textile from the Brahmaputra Valley. Muga silk is known as the “golden silk” of Assam and is celebrated for its natural golden hue and understated elegance. Italy’s celebrated tradition of luxury textiles and timeless design finds a natural resonance in the elegance of Assam’s “golden silk”, the officials said.

The Prime Minister of Italy was also gifted a Shirui Lily silk stole, which draws its inspiration from the misty heights of Shirui Kashong peak in Manipur. It is inspired by the rare Shirui Lily, a delicate bell-shaped flower with pale pinkish-white petals that blooms nowhere else in the world. For the Tangkhul Naga community of Manipur, the Shirui Lily symbolises purity, identity, and cultural pride. The lily also holds deep cultural resonance in Italy, where it has long symbolised purity, grace and artistic refinement, frequently appearing in Renaissance art.

President of Italy Sergio Mattarella was gifted a marble-inlay work box with CDs of legendary Hindustani classical vocalist Pandit Bhimsen Joshi and Carnatic singer M S Subbulakshmi. The box is a refined example of India’s handcrafted artistry, closely associated with the master craftsmen of Agra. Created using the intricate art of Pacchikari, or Pietra Dura, this decorative tradition is believed to have originated in Florence, Italy, before flourishing in India under royal patronage, making it a remarkable artistic bridge between the two nations. Together, the marble inlay box and the timeless musical works celebrate the shared appreciation of India and Italy for art, heritage and cultural excellence.

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands was gifted blue pottery from Jaipur. It is a GI-tagged art form with deep Indian roots, iconic for its vibrant cobalt blue, white, and yellow designs. It stands as a celebrated symbol of Indian craftsmanship, blending traditional artistry with contemporary design. With the Netherlands’ world-famous heritage of producing masterful Delft Blue pottery, these pieces are an ode to a shared commitment to artistic excellence, the officials said.

Queen of the Netherlands Máxima was gifted Meenakari and Kundan earrings. These earrings embody the finest traditions of Indian jewellery craftsmanship, originating from the royal ateliers of Rajasthan.

Prime Minister of the Netherlands Rob Jetten was gifted a Madhubani painting with a fish motif. Madhubani painting is a GI-tagged folk art tradition from the Mithila region known for its intricate geometric patterns and vibrant colours.

Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre was gifted a pressed orchid painting and orchid paperweights. These exquisite artworks, composed of real pressed orchids and ferns from the mist-covered valleys of Sikkim, celebrate the extraordinary biodiversity of the Eastern Himalayas.

King Harald V of Norway was gifted an intricate sailboat model. This exquisite silver sailboat is a masterpiece of Tarakasi, the ancient art of silver filigree from Cuttack, Odisha, the officials said.

Queen Sonja of Norway was gifted a palm leaf Pattachitra, locally known as Tala Pattachitra, one of Odisha’s most ancient and intricate art forms.

Apart from the Ladakh pure wool stole, the Swedish PM was also gifted the Loktak tea, an artisanal, small-batch tea from the lush hills surrounding the largest freshwater lake in the northeast, and a handcrafted Santiniketan messenger bag.

Iceland’s Prime Minister was gifted a replica of the ice axe used by Norgay as a tribute to the legendary tool carried by the Sherpa guide of Sir Edmund Hillary on the first ascent of Mount Everest in 1953.

The Prime Minister of Denmark was gifted a Bidri silver work vase, which reflects the refined artistry of the Deccan, celebrated for its intricate silver inlay, elegant form, and meticulous craftsmanship. Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo was given a Kamal Talai Pichwai painting, which reflects the serene beauty and devotional artistry of the Nathdwara tradition of Rajasthan.

The UAE President was gifted a Rogan painting with the tree of life. The Rogan painting is a rare and exquisite textile art form from the Kutch region of Gujarat. He was also given Kesar mangoes, a GI-tagged fruit also known as Gujarat’s “Queen of Mangoes”, and Meghalaya’s pineapples, which are celebrated as some of the finest in the world, thriving in the hilly terrain of Meghalaya.

The UAE Crown Prince was gifted a dagger with Koftgari work. A ceremonial dagger, adorned with intricate Koftgari work, is a rare expression of India’s martial and artistic heritage, and Mithila makhana, a premium agricultural product from the Mithila region of Bihar.

The UAE Queen Mother was gifted Maheshwari silk fabric, one of India’s most elegant handloom traditions, originating in the historic town of Maheshwar on the banks of the Narmada river in Madhya Pradesh, and Chak Hao rice, famously known as Manipur’s “black rice”, a prized aromatic rice variety from the fertile valleys of the northeast.

Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN, was gifted red rice, an indigenous grain from the black soils of Palakkad, Kerala; Gobindobhog rice, a premium, aromatic short-grain rice from West Bengal; Basmati rice a premium long-grain variety originating from the Indo-Gangetic plains; Joha rice, a premium, indigenous aromatic variety exclusive to the fertile Brahmaputra Valley of Assam; and Kalanamak rice, often called the “Buddha Rice”, which originated in the Terai region of Uttar Pradesh. He was also given healthy millet bars. Millets are an integral part of Maharashtra’s agricultural heritage, widely cultivated in regions such as Solapur, Ahmednagar, and the Marathwada belt.

Terming India a “land of opportunities,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country is undergoing an unprecedented transformation and its aspirations are “no longer limited to its borders”.

Addressing the Indian community in The Hague, the Prime Minister also said India is dreaming big and its youth aspires to reach the sky.

“Today India is saying we don’t just want transformation, we want the best, we want the fastest. That is why when there are unlimited aspirations in India, the efforts are also becoming limitless,” he said in his over 40-minute speech, amid applause from the audience.

“Today’s India is going through a phase of unprecedented transformation,” the Prime Minister said. “You must have seen recently that India hosted the world’s largest and most successful AI Summit. Before that, India also successfully hosted the G20 Summit. And this was not a one-time event. This has now become the character of today’s India.” Mr. Modi praised India’s start-up ecosystem, saying India has the third-largest start-up network in the world. – PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the Netherlands on Friday, May 15, on the second leg of his five-nation tour, during which he will hold talks with his Dutch counterpart Rob Jetten to further deepen bilateral cooperation in areas such as trade, technology, defence and renewable energy.

Mr. Modi was received at the airport by Rear Admiral Ludger Brummelaar, Adjutant-General and Chief of the Military Household of His Majesty the King; Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen; and India’s Ambassador to the Netherlands Kumar Tuhin, along with other senior officials of the Dutch Government.

“Landed in Amsterdam. This visit to the Netherlands comes at a time when India-E.U. Free Trade Agreement has given a major impetus to trade and investment linkages,” the Prime Minister said in a social media post soon after his arrival.

UAE Minister Reem Al Hashimy has emphasised the deep people-to-people contacts between her country and India, saying every Emirati probably will have “some connection with India” one way or the other.

In an interview with ANI ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, she said trade between India and the UAE has been a significant part of the relationship, whether it is in terms of clothes or spices the future cannot be without a strong India and a strong UAE.

She also spoke of respect in the two countries for traditional medicine knowledge and of bilateral ties going from strength to strength.

“If I ask any Emirati, you will probably find that they have had some connection to India in one way or another. I have a few members of my family who always go to India for treatment, who rely very much on Indian knowledge of herbs, and they compare that to our own knowledge of herbs, because Emiratis also have such a strong foundational respect for traditional medicine, like you do as well,” she said.

-ANI