Artworks and traditional items representing the rich heritage of India's states of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh were Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s choice of presents to world leaders during the G-20 summit in Bali.
Officials said Modi presented US President Joe Biden with Kangra miniature paintings, which portray ‘Shringar Rasa’, and his UK counterpart Rishi Sunak with ‘Mata Ni Pachedi’, a handmade Gujarat textile meant to be an offering in temples housing the Mother Goddess.
PM Modi presented US President Joe Biden with Kangra miniature painting, which portray 'Shringar Rasa' or a depiction of love on a natural backdrop. (Source: Twitter/@ANI)
The name is derived from Gujarati words ‘Mata’ meaning ‘mother goddess’, ‘Ni’ meaning ‘belonging to’ & ‘Pachedi’ meaning ‘backdrop’
The prime minister gifted ‘Pithora’, a ritualistic tribal folk art by Rathwa artisans from Chhota Udaipur in Gujarat, to Australian leader Anthony Albanese.
The PM gifted 'Pithora', a ritualistic tribal folk art by Rathwa artisans from Chhota Udaipur in Gujarat, to Australian leader Anthony Albanese.
His present to his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni was a ‘Patan Patola dupatta’ (scarf), officials said.
PM Modi's present to his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni was a 'Patan Patola dupatta' (scarf). The Patan Patola textile is woven by the Salvi family in the Patan area of northern Gujarat. (Source: ANI)
Modi’s gifts to the leaders from France, Germany and Singapore were ‘agate bowls’, work of traditional craft associated with the Kutch region of Gujarat.
Modi gifted 'agate bowls', work of traditional craft associated with the Kutch region of Gujarat, to French President Emmanuel Macron, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. (Source: Twitter/@ANI)
The prime minister has used the custom of presenting gifts to world leaders to highlight India’s rich and ancient artwork and craft by presenting them with items associated with the country’s different regions.
This time he has focussed on traditional works associated with Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. Incidentally, Gujarat is slated for assembly polls on December 1 and 5, while polls were held in the hill state on November 12.
The Kangra miniature paintings depict love in a natural backdrop. The sentiment of love as a metaphor and the devotion to the divine remains the inspiration and the central theme of these ‘pahari’ paintings.
Officials said he gifted a silver bowl, a unique and finely crafted work practised by skilled metalsmiths of Surat, and a Kinnaur shawl, a speciality of the Himalayan region with its roots in the ancient tradition of wool milling and textile manufacturing, to the leader of Indonesia, the host country.
Modi gave a traditional silver bowl from Surat and Kinnauri shawl from Himachal Pradesh to Indonesian President Joko Widodo. (Source: Twitter/@ANI)
He presented Spain’s leader with a Kanal brass set associated with Mandi and Kullu regions in Himachal Pradesh.
PM Modi presented Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez with Kanal brass set associated with Mandi and Kullu regions in Himachal Pradesh. (Source: ANI)
Kanal is a large, straight brass trumpet, over a metre long, played in parts of Himalayan India. It has a prominent bell resembling a datura flower and is used on ceremonial occasions, they noted.
US president Donald Trump and UK prime minister Keir Starmer announce an agreement between the two countries as they hold a press conference conference at Chequers at the conclusion of a state visit on September 18, 2025 in Aylesbury, England. Leon Neal/Pool via REUTERS
Dr Selva Pankaj 
