Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted Indian cultural artefacts, including the Mahabharata, santoor, Ladakhi textiles, Kangra tea and traditional crafts, to leaders and family members in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. The gifts showcased India’s literary, musical and artisanal heritage while highlighting cultural links and shared traditions with the two Central Asian nations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted a range of Indian cultural items to the leadership of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan during his just-concluded visit to the two Central Asian countries. The gifts included an English translation of the Mahabharata, a Ladakhi Tsug-dul blanket, a sandalwood Shata Tantri Veena, two boxes of premium Kangra tea, a marble inlay casket with a Banarasi silk stole and a fine silver brooch.
The gifts reflected Indian literary, textile, musical and craft traditions and, officials said, also underlined cultural links with the two countries. They were presented to the presidents, prime ministers and family members of the leaders of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Modi gifted Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov a 10-volume English translation of the Mahabharata by economist Bibek Debroy. The translation presents the complete, unabridged Mahabharata, including its principal narrative, philosophical reflections, genealogies, dialogues and subsidiary stories.
Traditionally attributed to Ved Vyasa, the epic is a cornerstone of India’s literary, philosophical and cultural heritage, exploring themes of dharma, duty, justice, morality, loyalty and statecraft through the story of the Pandavas and Kauravas. Officials said the Mahabharata also shares a cultural resonance with Kyrgyzstan’s Epic of Manas, as both preserve stories, values and collective memory across generations.
The prime minister also gifted Japarov a Tsug-dul blanket, a traditional woollen textile from Ladakh known for its vibrant colours and geometric, floral and stylised motifs.
Traditionally woven from locally sourced wool, it reflects Ladakh’s pastoral and nomadic way of life. Kyrgyzstan Prime Minister Adylbek Kasymaliev was gifted a Dokra artwork, ‘a pair of traditional musicians’, showcasing India’s ancient lost-wax metal-casting tradition and depicting two musicians playing traditional instruments. Officials said the artwork also resonated with Kyrgyzstan’s rich folk music and performing arts traditions.
Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was gifted a sandalwood Shata Tantri Veena, popularly known as the Santoor. The many-stringed instrument, associated with the musical traditions of Jammu and Kashmir, bears a resemblance to Uzbekistan’s traditional Chang.
Mirziyoyev was also given two boxes of premium Kangra tea in a wooden carved case – Kangra First Flush Black Tea and Kangra Green Tea – reflecting the tea-growing heritage of the Kangra Valley in Himachal Pradesh. The black tea was described as light, fragrant and subtly sweet, while the green tea was described as fresh and mellow with gentle vegetal and floral notes.
The Uzbekistan president was also gifted an original handwritten scoresheet of chess Grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov from the 2025 FIDE World Cup final in Goa. The scoresheet was described as a unique memento of Sindarov’s historic triumph. Sindarov, who became a Grandmaster at 12 and was part of Uzbekistan’s 2022 Chess Olympiad-winning team, defeated China’s Wei Yi in the final to become the youngest FIDE World Cup champion and qualify for the 2026 Candidates Tournament.
Modi gifted Mirziyoyev’s wife a marble inlay casket with a Banarasi silk stole, bringing together Agra’s marble inlay craft and Varanasi’s silk weaving tradition. The white marble casket featured intricate floral patterns made with coloured stones, while the stole had a rich blue ground with a paisley zari design.
