Modi's gifts to US veep, Australian PM brings world focus to Varanasi

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi presented some unique gifts to US vice president Kamala Harris and Australian prime minister Scott Morrison during his visit to the White House last week and the items have brought the world’s attention to his constituency in India – Varanasi – one of the oldest and holiest cities of Hinduism located in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Modi, who went to the US for a three-day visit and met some top leaders including US president Joe Biden besides attending a Quad summit and addressing the United Nations General Assembly session, gave Harris a chess set made of pink enamel called ‘gulabi meena’ from Varanasi. He also gifted a ship made of the same material to Morrison. Modi also gifted Japanese prime minister Yoshihide Suga a Buddha statue made of sandalwood. Morrison and Suga were in Washington for the first-ever in-person Quad summit.

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A gulabi meenakari chess set (ANI Photo)

The colourful gifts that Modi gave to Harris and Morrison were made by Kunj Bihari Singh, a resident of Lalghat area of Varanasi, who has been a recipient of the President’s Award for his craft. He told India Today news outlet that he was informed on September 9 about Modi’s plan to take a chess set and ship made by him to the US. He made the gift items and went to Delhi to hand them over. He later came to know that the souvenirs were gifted to Harris and Morrison. The prime minister also took a Vrikshasan from Singh which he gave to a high-profile person in the US.

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Singh, whose family has been in the craft for generations, said the craft with pink enamel is a difficult one. The craft is made only on silver and gold and the colour is produced from metal oxide. The pink colour comes by mixing sandalwood oil with gold. The art had come first to India during the Mughal period. Singh said he learned the art from his mother and maternal grandmother.

A silver gulabi meenakari ship (ANI Photo)

Singh had told the Times of India in the past that ‘gulabi meenakari’ (pink enameling) was a flourishing art even a century ago but now only a handful of craftsmen are struggling to keep the tradition alive.

Singh told India Today that while the pandemic has hurt the trade, Modi helped in getting the art an international recognition. He said after his art got worldwide attention, he received orders for the entire year.