Extensive preparations have been made ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India this evening. The Russian leader, who will be in India for two days, is expected to land around 6:35 pm. Within hours of his arrival, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host him for a private dinner. The dinner is expected to be low-key and give the two leaders a chance to set the tone ahead of the formal summit.
What is on President Putin’s agenda?
On Friday, President Putin will begin his formal program with a welcoming ceremony before heading to Rajghat to pay his respects at the Mahatma Gandhi memorial – a routine part of state visits.
He will then attend the 23rd annual India-Russia summit at Hyderabad House, where PM Modi is scheduled to host a working lunch for him and his delegation.
How do ordinary Indians welcome Putin?
Residents of Varanasi performed aarti on the ghats and went on a welcome march, expressing goodwill before the visit of big names.
What special artworks were created?
Odisha artist Manas Kumar Sahoo welcomed the Russian President to India with a detailed sand animation.
Over the course of two hours – in a display of skill and patience – the sand artist released a video showing the creation process as a portrait of President Putin gradually appeared next to iconic Russian landmarks.
“Welcome President Putin to India, we presented his sand animation, showed the art and culture (of Russia). In the coming days, we hope that both countries will continue to strengthen their relations and both countries will have peace and prosperity. It took us about 2 to make this animation,” sand artist Manas Kumar Sahoo said in the video.
In Amritsar, local artist Jagjot Singh created a handmade acrylic painting of the Russian leader.
In New Delhi, ahead of President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India, the Russian House organized a spectacular photo exhibition dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation and state arms exporter Rosoboronexport.
The exhibition featured images of Vladimir Putin with Indian Prime Ministers over the past 25 years, including Prime Minister Modi, highlighting the defense cooperation between the two nations.
It also displayed models of various defense systems of Russia and India, such as the original BrahMos missiles, the Russian S-400 missile system and the Su-57E fifth-generation fighter jets.
Several others took to social media to express their delight at the high-profile meeting, writing: “Namaste Putin”
(With inputs from news agency ANI)
