PM Modi Takes Northeast to Global Diplomatic Arena With Unique Gifts on 5-Nation Tour

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]From Assam's Eri silk to pineapples from Meghalaya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented exquisite gifts highlighting India's crafts and GI tagged items to world's leaders. Prime Minister Modi gifted an Eri silk stole and a Shirui lily silk stole to his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni. The Shirui lily silk stole draws its inspiration from the misty heights of Shirui Kashong peak in Manipur. It is inspired by the rare Shirui lily, a delicate bell-shaped flower with pale pinkish-white petals which bloom nowhere else in the world.

[00:00:38]And it's not just the Shirui lily stole, Manipur's Loktak tea was also presented to Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. Loktak tea is an artisanal small-batch tea from the lush hills surrounding the Loktak lake, the largest freshwater lake in northeast India.

[00:00:55]Grown in Manipur's unique ecosystem, the tea is cultivated in community-led chemical-free gardens that preserve traditional farming practices. The Swedish Prime Minister was also gifted a selection of works by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

[00:01:14]UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was gifted the GI tagged pineapples from Meghalaya, which are among the finest in the world.

[00:01:26]The Chak-hao rice, famously known as Manipur's black rice, was presented to UAE's Queen Mother during Prime Minister Modi's recent visit. Traditionally regarded as the royal rice of Manipur, it was once reserved for royalty and ceremonial occasions.

[00:01:45]Also, Assam's famed Joha rice was given as a gift to the DG of FAO. Joha rice is a premium indigenous aromatic variety exclusive to the fertile Brahmaputra valley of Assam, a unique winter rice, it is distinguished by its small grain size and a potent sweet fragrance fragrance driven by a high concentration of volatile oils. Unlike non-scented varieties, the material is a nutritional powerhouse rich in antioxidants and features a delicate buttery taste.

[00:02:20]And we're not done yet. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also gifted a pressed orchid painting and orchid paperweights to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. These exquisite artworks, composed of real pressed orchids and ferns from the misty covered valleys of Sikkim, celebrate the extraordinary biodiversity of the Eastern Himalayas.

[00:02:41]Each bloom and fern has been carefully hand-selected and preserved by local artisans, capturing the timeless beauty of Sikkim's Himalayan landscape.

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