Kashmiri saffron, Banarasi silk stole among curated gifts for G20 leaders, spouses

Leaders from various countries, including heads of state, who participated in the G20 Summit held in Delhi, were presented with a carefully curated assortment of handcrafted artifacts and products that reflect India's vibrant cultural heritage, officials announced on Tuesday (12). They said a number of these gifts were painstakingly created by skilled master artisans from the country.

Among the gift items presented were saffron sourced from Kashmir, sheesham wood chests adorned with brass patti, a selection of Pekoe Darjeeling and Nilgiri teas, premium Araku coffee, a luxurious Kashmiri Pashmina shawl, Sundarbans multiflora mangrove honey, and Zighrana 'ittar' (perfume oil) from Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh.

The G20 Summit was held at the newly-built Bharat Mandapam at Pragati Maidan from September 9-10. It was attended by US president Joe Biden, prime minister Rishi Sunak and French president Emmanuel Macron, among other world leaders.

The government of India gifted the leaders a curated collection of handcrafted artefacts and products that speak volumes about India's rich cultural traditions, the officials said.

"Some of the products gifted to them are those of centuries of tradition and cherished across the world for their unparalleled workmanship and quality," a senior official said.

A Khadi scarf and a coin box containing G20 commemorative coins were also gifted to visiting leaders by prime minister Narendra Modi.

Modi gifted items representing the culture of India to spouses of the world leaders, according to the officials.

For the spouse of president of Argentina, Modi gifted a Banarasi silk stole kept in an ebony 'jaali' box, they said.

Handcrafted in Varanasi, luxurious silk threads create intricate patterns, reflecting the city's cultural richness and its weaving heritage.

He gifted a Kashmiri Pashmina stole kept in a papier mache box, to the spouse of prime minister of Australia.

Spouse of Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also was gifted a Kashmiri Pashmina stole kept in a papier mache box.

An Assam stole kept in a kadam wood 'jaali' box was gifted to Yuko Kishida, spouse of prime minister of Japan Fumio Kishida. This box has been handcrafted with lattice work by artisans of Kerala.

Modi gifted Akshata Murty, wife of Sunak, a Banarasi stole kept in a kadam wood box, handcrafted by artisans of Karnataka, the officials said.

The gift for the spouse of prime minister of Mauritius was an Ikkat stole in a teak wood box, officials said.

Modi gifted a Banarasi silk stole kept in an ebony 'jaali' box to the spouse of prime minister of Spain. The box has been handcrafted by artisans of Kerala using delicate lattice work, on the extremely dense and fine textured Indian ebony wood, they said.

(PTI)