Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently visited Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh for election rallies, and he gifted the heads of states craft pieces displayed in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.
A miniature painting from Kangra was presented to US President Joe Biden. In Gujarat, a sacred textile piece called Mata Ni Pachedi was introduced to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, received a Patan Patola scarf, a colourful dupatta woven in Gujarat’s northern region, encased in a sadeli box made from wood native to Surat. Both sides can be worn with the double ikat scarf. Meloni’s scarf was designed based on the motifs of Rani Ki Vav, a stepwell built in Patan during the 11th century.
This miniature Pahari painting depicts love as a means of devotion and was presented to Vice President Biden. In addition to the Kinnauri shawl, another item from the hill state was presented to the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo. There are influences from Central Asia and Tibet in the design of this particular piece. As part of the presentation, Widodo received a silver bowl from Surat.
French, German, and Singaporean leaders received agate bowls from Kutch. Various ornamental objects are produced using the semiprecious stone found in underground mines at Rajpipla and Ratanpur.
The Prime Minister presented his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese with a tribal art piece named Pithora. The Pithora paintings are ritualistic tribal folk art created by Rathwa artisans from Chhota Udaipur in Gujarat. The paintings are based on cave paintings that tribal people created to reflect their social, cultural, and mythological beliefs. It is evident that these paintings are similar to the aboriginal dot paintings of the indigenous communities of Australia.
