Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrapped up his two-day visit to Ghana on Thursday by gifting handcrafted artefacts to the country’s top leaders, underlining India’s rich craft traditions and centuries-old artisanal legacy.
The Prime Minister gifted Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama a pair of Bidriware vases from Bidar, Karnataka. Crafted by skilled artisans using a centuries-old technique, the vases feature a zinc-copper alloy base with a distinctive black finish and fine silver inlay. Engraved with floral motifs, they symbolise beauty, prosperity and harmony.
To Ghana’s First Lady, Lordina Mahama, PM Modi presented an elegant silver filigree purse from Cuttack, Odisha. Known for its Tarakasi work, the region’s delicate silver filigree craft has been practised for over five centuries. The handcrafted purse combines intricate floral and vine designs with modern style, blending tradition with contemporary elegance.
Ghana’s Vice-President, Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, received a Kashmiri Pashmina shawl — woven from the fine undercoat of the Changthangi goat. Celebrated for its softness and warmth, genuine Pashmina is hand-spun, woven and embroidered by artisans in Kashmir, with each piece taking weeks or months to complete.
PM Modi also gifted a miniature Ambawari elephant to Ghana’s Speaker, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin. Handcrafted in West Bengal from polished synthetic ivory — an ethical alternative to natural ivory — the piece draws inspiration from royal processions where elephants carried nobility in ornate howdahs.
(With agency inputs)
