New Delhi, May 20 (H.S.): Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Rome, the capital of Italy, late last night as part of the final leg of his six-day, five-nation foreign tour. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hosted a dinner in honour of Prime Minister Modi, during which the two leaders held informal and detailed discussions on further strengthening India-Italy relations.
Welcoming Prime Minister Modi in a special manner upon his arrival in Italy, Meloni shared a selfie with him on social media and wrote, “Welcome to Rome, my friend.”
Prime Minister Modi, in a post on X, stated that he had the opportunity to meet Prime Minister Meloni over dinner and also visit the Colosseum. He said the two leaders exchanged views on several issues and added that discussions on enhancing India-Italy friendship would continue during formal talks scheduled for Wednesday.
Later, Prime Minister Modi also interacted with members of the Indian community in Italy. Sharing details of the interaction in another post, he wrote that he was deeply grateful for the warm welcome extended by the Indian diaspora in Rome. He praised their deep affection for India and their commitment towards strengthening India-Italy relations, adding that the Indian diaspora continues to make the nation proud across the world.
Prime Minister Modi also met renowned Italian painter Giampaolo Tomassetti and viewed his paintings based on Kashi. In a post on X, the Prime Minister remarked, “A glimpse of Kashi in Rome.” He noted that Tomassetti’s association with Indian culture spans four decades. The artist illustrated books based on Vedic culture during the 1980s and created 23 large paintings inspired by the Mahabharata between 2008 and 2013.
In another post, Prime Minister Modi highlighted a performance titled ‘Trigalbandi’ presented in Rome by five Italian artists passionate about Indian classical dance — Swamini Atmananda Giri, Martina Meenakshi Argada, Lucrezia Maniscotti, Valeria Vespaziani and Rossella Fanelli. The performance featured the Indian classical dance forms Kuchipudi, Bharatanatyam and Kathak.
Prime Minister Modi stated that it was remarkable to witness Indian classical dance traditions attracting growing global admiration and interest.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
