G20 leaders received gifts with Indian cultural customs
The G20 heads of state and government were given gift baskets filled with Kashmiri saffron, Pashmina shawls, Nilgiri Tea, Araku Coffee, Sundarbans honey, and Zighrana Ittar when they gathered in New Delhi over the weekend for the group’s annual summit. The summit marked the conclusion of India’s year-long leadership of the grouping of the world’s leading economies and was the largest such meeting the country has held in forty years.
The hamper’s contents were selected while keeping in mind the distinctive biodiversity and cultural customs of India. The sandook, which has a metal strip woven into it, represents Indian craftsmanship. It has a unique position in Indian folklore and culture.
The most costly spice in the world is Kashmiri saffron, sometimes referred to as red gold and renowned for its therapeutic and culinary properties.
Aromatic Pekoe Darjeeling is cultivated at an altitude of 3000-5000 feet in the West Bengali hills, while Nilgiri Tea is grown at an altitude of 1000-3000 feet in the South Indian Himalayas. The first terroir-mapped coffee in the world, Araku Coffee is cultivated naturally on estates in Andhra Pradesh. The coffee is sustainably grown and is organic.
The biggest mangrove forest in the world, the Sundarbans multiflora mangrove forest, is located in the Bay of Bengal at the confluence of the Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers. The honey is less viscous and reflects the region’s biodiversity. It combines the nectar of Khalisha, Bani, and Garan mangrove flowers. Sundarban honey has a lot of flavonoids as well.
The Kashmiri pashmina shawl is created from the wool of the most rare animal in the world, the Cashmere goat, which can only be found at an altitude of 14,000 feet above sea level. The goat’s undercoat is combed to remove the wool rather than being sheared. Using centuries-old techniques, skilled craftsmen hand-spin, weave, and embellish their fragile fabrics. Historically, wearing a pashmina denoted status and nobility and represented conferring honor.
Zighrana Ittar represents a long-standing heritage of perfume making from Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh. For the hydro-distillation process used to create perfume, artisans select rare jasmine and rose blooms early in the morning when their aroma is strongest.
