PM Modi's Special Gifts to Cyprus President reflects India's diverse Heritage

The Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, recently traveled to Cyprus and presented the country's President, Nikos Christodoulides, with two stunning presents. They were not run-of-the-mill presents - they were special items that reflect India's incredible art and culture. Modi presented the President of Cyprus with a hand-made Kashmiri silk carpet and a silver pouch made in Andhra Pradesh.

- ZAMAN NOOR

Prime Minister Modi has a quirky custom. When he receives visiting foreign dignitaries, he prefers to present them gifts symbolizing India's rich culture and heritage. These are not pleasant things - they narrate the history, artwork, and skilled individuals who create beautiful things by their own hands.

By gifting these cultural treasures, Modi educates other world leaders on India's heritage. It is as if a portion of India's heart is being given to the world. Every gift has the heritage of the location that it originates from and the people who created it.

The first gift was a Kashmiri silk carpet, hand-made. This is not any carpet - it's art that talks about the amazing handwork of the artisans of Kashmir. These are the very people who have been creating carpets for generations and passed on their art from one generation to another. It is extremely painstaking effort that takes considerable time to produce a Kashmiri silk carpet. The craftsmen employ a centuries-old method of hand-knotting that has been practiced by them for centuries. They manually knot thousands of extremely small knots to produce the carpet. They put these knots carefully so that they form exquisite patterns and designs.

The carpet presented to the President of Cyprus was made of pure mulberry silk. It's the most costly type of silk drawn from silkworms that live on mulberry leaves. The silk is so smooth and shiny that the carpet seems radiating.

The natural dyes are used in the carpet. Natural material is used by the artisans to dye the silk, in lieu of artificial dyes. This results in more lovely colors and makes them long lasting.