Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday gifted Russian President Vladimir Putin a Russian translation of the Thirukkural, the celebrated Tamil classic by poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar.
Putin arrived in India on Friday for the summit, which is being hosted by India on September 12 and 13. The Thirukkural, one of the most revered works of Tamil literature, comprises 1,330 couplets dealing with ethics, virtue, governance, love and the conduct of life. The literary gift came as Modi and Putin met in New Delhi for bilateral talks on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit. By presenting Putin with a Russian-language edition, Modi highlighted India’s literary and cultural heritage while choosing a format accessible to the Russian president.
The two leaders are likely to discuss an ambitious target of taking bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030, along with measures to create more business-to-business opportunities and improve access for Indian companies to the Russian market, according to sources.
Sources said the leaders could also discuss greater mobility of skilled workers, including increasing the number of Indian skilled workers travelling to Russia.
