Humayun’s Tomb to Qutub Minar: A day out in Delhi for delegate partners
“The (Argentinian) President felt that the Humayun’s tomb is grander and prettier than even the Taj Mahal...The delegation was extremely fascinated by its beauty,” officials deployed on the field said.
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Spouses of participating G20 Head of States visit a special agriculture exhibition organised by the Ministry of Agriculture
and Farmers’ Welfare at IARI Campus, PUSA, Saturday. From Emine Erdogan’s Twitter page As G20 delegates and their spouses visited various monuments in the Capital starting Friday, Humayun’s Tomb seems to have left many, including Argentinian President Alberto Fernández, fascinated.
“The (Argentinian) President felt that the Humayun’s tomb is grander and prettier than even the Taj Mahal…The delegation was extremely fascinated by its beauty,” officials deployed on the field said.
On Saturday, Turkey’s first lady, Emine Erdogan, visited the tomb. She was escorted around the monument by an official from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), which had also allotted translators and tour guides to accompany the foreign dignitaries and explain to them the history of various monuments.
A Turkish delegate accompanying the first lady to the 16th-Century monument also drew its parallels with the Taj Mahal. “On a first look, it seems to be a smaller version of the Taj Mahal,” Mariway, who goes by only one name, told The Indian Express.
An ASI official accompanying the entourage told them that Humayun’s Tomb was used as a site to experiment with new architectural concepts, which was eventually perfected by the Taj Mahal.
The Ertiga car was to report at ITC Maurya, Saturday. PTI
Earlier, on Friday, delegates from the Netherlands, Nigeria, the UAE, and the European Council visited the monument.
The next stop for Erdogan was Qutub Minar, according to officials present at the Qutub Minar complex. Meanwhile, the Argentinian delegation visited the Lodhi Garden.
Two Saudi visitors, Ibrahim and Mohammad, who are accompanying Saudi Arabia’s Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, were present at the Qutub Minar Complex Saturday evening. When asked about the monument, they expressed praise and awe for it. “It has been a good experience to look at the Indian monuments,” Ibrahim said.
At the international media centre. (Express photo by Tashi Tobgyal)
Several monuments including the Qutub Minar have been beautified for the visit by international dignitaries.
“Every time a delegation visits the monuments, orders are given just half an hour prior to the visit and the whole premises is emptied out… no prior information on which delegation is visiting the monument is provided to us,” an official deployed on the field at the Humayun’s Tomb and Qutub Minar said.
Spouses of the delegates also visited the cottage emporium near Janpath where they were introduced to Indian art and handicrafts, sources said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes US President Joe Biden at the Bharat Mandapam on Saturday.
Later in the day, the Turkish first lady visited Nanaji Deshmukh Plant Phenomics Centre. She posted on X, formerly Twitter: “We met with the spouses of the world leaders in New Delhi as a part of the G20 Summit in India. We had the opportunity to visit the Nanaji Deshmukh Plant Phenomics Centre. At the centre dedicated to the study of plant characteristics, we have been provided with insights regarding plant species and the studies conducted to enhance agricultural yield and promote environmental sustainability. #G20India .”
Guests sample millet delicacies
The spouses of member countries also participated in a unique exhibition organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare at IARI Campus, Pusa, which featured a millet-focused live cooking session led by celebrity chefs. Besides, agricultural technology from prominent Indian startups was displayed. In addition, the guests interacted with Indian women agri-champions at a meet-up titled ‘Agri-Street’.
As the guests entered the premises, they were welcomed by two ‘millet rangolis’.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Bharat Mandapam on Saturday.
At the live cooking session, in keeping with the theme International Year of Millets, celebrity chefs Kunal Kapur, Anahita Dhondy and Ajay Chopra along with culinary experts from the ITC Group, chef Kusha and chef Nikita, prepared a full-course meal with millets as the starring ingredient.
While chef Anahita created a Raw Banana Barnyard Millet Tikki topped with puffed Amaranth, chef Kunal prepared a Jowar-Mushroom Khichda. For dessert, chef Ajay rustled up Millet Thekua and Lemon Shrikhand Mille-feuille.
The guests received a token of appreciation in the form of a hamper with handwoven stoles crafted from silk sourced from the Sal forests of Chhattisgarh, a handcrafted bell metal figurine created using an ancient wax technique, and a Cheriyal painting.
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