Modi’s ‘Bandhgala’ look lauded

Gifts a copy of Bhagawad Gita to Abe

Kyoto: Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed at the Osaka airport in Japan on Saturday, looking dapper in a dark 'bandhgala'. His look got a thumbs up from a few Twitter users.

Twitter user Atmay @hoveringfalcon said: "Modi and all ministers should wear such suits in regular office also. Kurta is outdated."

Another user, Rakesh Ranjan, @rakeshranjankr said: "He went inside plain in kurta dhoti (sic) and coming out in coat." There were also several tweets wishing the prime minister best of luck for his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe later in the day. Modi is visiting Japan on his first bilateral foreign visit outside South Asia.

Modi, who has been ‘excited’ about the visit, gifted books on Swami Vivekananda and a copy of Bhagawad Gita to Abe who made a special gesture of travelling here specially to meet the Indian Prime Minister in this historic city before their formal Summit meeting in Tokyo on Monday.

Modi presented to Abe a special commemorative edition of 'Swami Vivekananda and Japan- excerpts from the life and works of Swami Vivekanand and 'Vivekananda in Japan' by Swami Medhasananda' and a copy of the Bhagawada Gita.

In addition to the Sanskrit version, a Japanese version of the Bhagawad Gita was also presented to Abe. Abe then hosted a dinner for Modi.

Setting the tone for their formal Summit on Monday, Modi and his counterpart Shinzo Abe spoke about a "strong and robust future" for the bilateral ties, with the Indian leader hoping that the two sides would strive to achieve in five years the unrealised potential of five decades.

Meeting over a dinner hosted here by Abe in honour of Modi in the elegant setting of the Imperial Guest House, the two leaders underlined the importance India and Japan have for each other.

"The discussions covered economic issues, and the opportunities that both countries had," a PMO statement said. They talked about the need to seize the opportunities presented by their respective strong political mandates to inject new momentum and energy in their economies. "They spoke with great optimism about a strong and robust future for India-Japan economic partnership," it said.

Modi observed that the relationship was far below potential and expressed hope that the two sides would strive to achieve in five years the unrealised potential of five decades. Abe spoke with great enthusiasm and strong conviction about India and the importance of India-Japan relations for his country and the region. Modi described Japan as one of India's closest and most important partners and spoke about his own admiration and affinity for Japan and his high hopes from the relationship.