Spouses of heads of G20 nations visit the National Gallery of Modern Art during the G20 Summit, in New Delhi, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023.
Credit: PTI Photos
Spouses of various world leaders attending the G20 Summit 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 NGMA, official sources said.
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 (National Gallery of Modern Art)," the source added.
The source told PTI, "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.
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.