During the ASEAN Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted a collection of exquisite artifacts, showcasing India’s diverse cultural heritage, to leaders from Laos, Thailand, New Zealand, and Japan, according to officials. Among the standout gifts, Modi presented New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, with a pair of regal silver lamps encrusted with rubies from Maharashtra. Demonstrating India’s fine craftsmanship, he also gave a vintage brass Buddha statue with intricate mina (enamel) work to Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith, while the President’s spouse, Naly Sisoulith, received a Patan Patola scarf encased in a Sadeli box. Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone was gifted an embossed Buddha head carved from Kadamwood, and his spouse was presented with a malachite and camel bone box featuring a Radha-Krishna theme.
For Thailand’s Prime Minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Modi offered a beautifully crafted low-height wooden table from Ladakh. Japan’s Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, received a silver peacock figurine, intricately detailed with carvings from Bengal. These symbolic gifts highlighted India’s artistic diversity and cultural richness.
