Spouses of various world leaders attending the G20 Summit here were treated to a special lunch at Jaipur House on Saturday, following which they were given a guided tour of an exhibition of culturally-rich artefacts at National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA).
The group was served millet-based dishes and they also sampled some street food, a source said.”First ladies from Turkiye, Japan, the UK, Australia and Mauritius, among others visited the exhibition at NGMA “, the source added. The source said, “After lunch at Jaipur House, spouses of some world leaders enjoyed an exhibition hosted at the NGMA that opened today.
The exhibition has been showcased especially for them.” The ‘Roots and Routes’ exhibition explores India’s civilisational heritage, ethos and inter-connectedness.
The NGMA, under the Union Ministry of Culture, boasts a rich collection of artwork, including paintings, sculptures and photographs. S Radhakrishnan, the then-vice-president, inaugurated the gallery at Jaipur House in 1954, according to the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav website.
Nearly 400 artefacts, including prized Gandhara sculptures, Chola Bronzes and rare manuscripts, are part of a special exhibition that will open at the NGMA on September 9 to welcome spouses of various heads of state who will gather here for the G20 summit.
Remains of a chariot dating back to the period of 2500 BC-1800 BC and unearthed by a team of archaeologists in 2018 from the Sanauli excavation site in Uttar Pradesh and rare Mexican scrolls will also be displayed thematically to showcase India’s rich culture and its shared connection with G20 member countries and invited nations, official sources said.
The special lunch and the NGMA exhibition were organised on the sidelines of the two-day G20 Summit that got underway on Saturday at the newly-built international convention and exhibition centre — Bharat Mandapam — at Pragati Maidan.
Earlier in the day, spouses of some world leaders visited the Pusa campus to learn about millet farming.They (world leaders’ spouses) showed interest in learning more about millets, the source said.
Spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union government sponsored a proposal for the International Year of Millets - 2023. The proposal was accepted by the United Nations General Assembly.
Modi has also shared his vision to make the International Year of Millets - 2023 a “people’s movement” alongside positioning India as the “global hub for millets”.
Millet-based dishes were on the menus for lunches and dinners served to the delegates at G20 events held under different tracks since India assumed presidency of the bloc last December.
Luxury hotels in Delhi are also serving millet-based dishes to the heads of states who are in Delhi for the G20 Summit.