By Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented Russian President Vladimir Putin with a Russian translation of the Thirukkural during bilateral talks in New Delhi on Friday.
The two leaders met ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit, with Modi expressing confidence the gift would strengthen people-to-people ties between the nations.
The Thirukkural, comprising 1,330 couplets written by Thiruvalluvar nearly two thousand years ago, addresses virtue, wealth and statecraft.
Discussions between Modi and Putin touched on trade, industry, energy, mobility and critical resources, including rail sector and steel value chain cooperation.
Putin’s arrival in Delhi comes as India prepares to host the BRICS Summit on September 12 and 13.
The bilateral discussions were expected to cover trade, industry, energy, mobility and critical resources, alongside deeper industrial cooperation.
Talks reportedly touched on plans related to INNOPROM participation in India, as well as collaboration in the rail sector and the steel value chain.
Business-to-business opportunities between Indian and Russian companies were also on the agenda during the wide-ranging talks.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, with several other world leaders also arriving in Delhi over the same period.
Security for the summit period has been tightened significantly across Delhi, with thousands of personnel deployed and airspace restrictions in effect.
India-Russia relations span decades of defence, energy and diplomatic cooperation, with the two countries holding regular bilateral summits.
The two leaders have met on multiple occasions in recent years, both at bilateral summits and on the sidelines of multilateral forums such as BRICS and the SCO.
Officials from both sides were expected to hold follow-up working-level discussions in the weeks after the summit to translate the leaders’ talks into concrete agreements.
India has traditionally balanced its ties with Russia alongside its relationships with Western partners, a dynamic that continues to shape its foreign policy approach.
PM Narendra Modi with President Vladimir Putin, PIB/Wikimedia Commons, GODL-India
