Visually impaired girl welcomes EAM at Israel's Shalva National Centre with B'wood songs

Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar and his delegation were welcomed by famous Bollywood songs at Israel's Shalva National Centre on October 18, during his official 5-day visit to the country. Dina Samte, a visually impaired Indian-Jewish girl from the Bnei Menashe tribe who is a member of the Shalva band, greeted Jaishankar and performed songs from Bollywood films like 'Kal ho na ho' and 'Kuchh kuchh hota hai', PTI reported. 

Israel Embassy in India has tweeted about the incident and stated that the performance of the visually impaired girl has moved the External Affairs minister as well as his team which left them emotional. “EAM S Jaishankar was in for a surprise today!”, the tweet reads.  

Several people in social media have applauded this simple act and have termed it as a friendship between Israel and India.  

Furthermore, as per PTI, Samte, who moved to Israel in the year 2007 from Manipur, had the exceptional honour of being picked to ignite a torch at Israel's official state ceremonial for Independence Day a few years ago. Meanwhile, Yair Lapid, Israel's Alternate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, arranged a lunch for Jaishankar at the Shalva Centre, which provides social inclusion resources to people with impairments. Shalva offers a wide range of services to thousands of persons with disabilities, ranging from infancy to maturity, as well as their families. 

EAM Jaishankar's visit to Israel

Minister Jaishankar, who has been on the three-day trip to Israel, paid tribute to Holocaust victims at Yad Vashem in Israel earlier today. He further said that this memorial is a testament to the human spirit's perseverance.  

Simultaneously, he even paid a visit to an Indian hospice that had been restored with the help of the Indian government and which he described as having a historical tie to Jerusalem. Throughout his tour, the minister dedicated a plaque in Israel honouring the 1960 planting of the Bhoodan Grove by Sarvodaya employees. He highlighted that there are various sides to India-Israel ties, as well as many contributions. 

Ministers addressed various issues 

Additionally, S Jaishankar met Israel's Foreign Minister, Yair Lapid, on Monday to address matters of mutual concern. Several topics of commerce, immunisation, and mutual cooperation were discussed by the foreign ministers of both nations during the conference. EAM Jaishankar has agreed to a free trade deal that will begin in November. He also spoke on India's efforts in gaining recognition for its indigenous vaccines and the current certification process. Both foreign ministries are said to have agreed to recognise each other's immunisation certificates. 

(Image: PTI/ Twitter/ @israelinindia)