From 'Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram' To 'Vaishnava Jana To', Bhajans Set The Tone As Putin Pays Tribute To Mahatma Gandhi

New Delhi: In a breach of convention and in line with asserting Indian cultural ethos at the world stage, bhajans like ‘Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram’ and ‘Vaishnava Jana To’ were played as Russian President Vladimir Putin paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat in the national capital. 

‘Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram’ is believed to be linked to the 17th-century Marathi poet Ramdas. Some even link it to the 15th-century poet Tulsidas. ‘Vaishnava Jana To’ is believed to be written in the 15th century by poet Narsinh Mehta in Gujarati. Both these bhajans are popularly associated with Mahatma Gandhi.

Visuals from the spot showed Russian President Vladimir Putin laying a wreath at the memorial, paying floral tributes to the Father of the Nation and also signing the visitors' book at the Rajghat before proceeding to the Hyderabad House for his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Russian President was accompanied by Minister of State for the Ministry of External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, to the memorial site.

Putin is on his first visit to India in four years and during his State visit, the Russian President is slated to hold the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit with PM Modi. The Russian President is on a two-day State visit to India at the invitation of PM Modi.

Prior to his arrival at the Rajghat, the President of the Russian Federation was welcomed by President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, where he received the ceremonial tri-services guard of honour as the forecourt echoed with the sound of the Indian as well as the Russian national anthem.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Delhi LG VK Saxena, CDS General Anil Chauhan and other dignitaries were present at the ceremony at which President Droupadi Murmu and Russian President Vladimir Putin introduced each other to the dignitaries from each other's country.

Among the Russian dignitaries were Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov and Kremlin aide Dmitry Peskov.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to share the stage once again after four years in the national capital today for bilateral talks.

Since their last meeting here in December 2021, Putin arrived in the national capital on Thursday and PM Modi broke with protocol to greet him on the tarmac. Following his arrival at the Palam Airport, PM Modi welcomed Putin with a hug.

PM Modi, in a post on X, stated that the "friendship" between the two leaders is a "time-tested one" and he was delighted to welcome Putin back to India after four years. Both leaders shared the same car ride to the Lok Kalyan Marg residence of Prime Minister Modi, where Putin was gifted a copy of the sacred Bhagwad Gita.

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