Gulabi Meenakari brooch, black pottery, ittar, cufflink: Indian PM's gifts to G7 leaders

Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted world leaders with various India's rich art and crafts during his visit to Germany to attend the G7 summit.

The Indian PM has often chosen gifts that showcase the country's rich cultural and artistic traditions, and it was no different this time as he picked a variety of products for the heads of government.

A ‘Gulabi Meenakari’ brooch and a cufflink set were gifted to US President Joe Biden and his wife, Dr Jill Biden. Gulabi Meenakari is a GI-tagged art-form of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

A metal Marodi carving ‘matka’ was presented to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The nickel-coated, hand-engraved brass vessel is a masterpiece from District Moradabad, also known as the ‘Peetal Nagari’ or ‘brass city’ of Uttar Pradesh. An outline of the design is made with a fine engraving tool hammered with a wooden block -called ‘Marodi’.

Japan’s prime minister was presented with black pottery pieces from Nizamabad in Uttar Pradesh. The potters use a special technique to bring out the black colour while the pottery is still inside the oven. It is ensured that no oxygen enters the stove while the pots are being cooked; the presence of oxygen turns the colour red.

The Indian PM gifted a hand-painted tea set from Bulandhshahr, Uttar Pradesh, to UK prime minister Boris Johnson. The crockery is outlined with platinum metal paint in honour of the Queen's platinum jubilee that is being celebrated this year. The embossed outlines are laid on manually with Mehndi cone work, according to ANI.

He also gifted ittar (perfume derived from natural sources) bottles in zardozi box, crafted in Lucknow, to the French president and a marble inlay table top to Italy's prime minister Mario Draghi. The marble top has its origin in Agra.