During his state visit to India, Brazilian President Lula da Silva said he was deeply moved by a musical tribute that reminded him of a surprise he had arranged for PM Modi during the latter’s visit to Brazil last year.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, during his state visit to India, said he was moved by a special gesture that reminded him of a surprise he had arranged for Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the latter’s visit to Brazil last year.
Speaking at the India–Brazil Economic Forum on Sunday, President Lula recalled that songs by Brazilian composers, including the iconic “Asa Branca”, were played at both a lunch and a state dinner, leaving him “surprised” by the thoughtful tribute.
“I was surprised yesterday, at the state dinner and at lunch too. I don’t know if the Brazilian journalists remember this, but when Prime Minister Modi went to visit Brazil last year, we did research on the song that he preferred most. We went to São Paulo to try to find a singer who could sing the song that he enjoyed most. So we did a surprise for him at the Palácio da Alvorada in Brazil, and it was visible that he was touched by the song that we chose to play for him,” he said.
“Yesterday I was surprised because during lunch we started to hear a song. I saw that that song had something to do with us… Then they played other songs from the Brazilian composers. They played Asa Branca,” Lula added.
“I was very touched by that because I did not remember. I did not imagine that they could have remembered the reception we gave him and decided to offer me a gift in return,” he said.
President Lula was on a state visit to India from February 18 to 22, where he met Prime Minister Modi to strengthen bilateral ties and expand strategic cooperation. Addressing a joint press conference after delegation-level talks, Prime Minister Modi outlined the key outcomes of their discussions.
The two leaders set a target of raising bilateral trade to 20 billion dollars within five years and signed agreements in areas including rare earth minerals, digital partnership and mining cooperation.
Energy cooperation also emerged as a key pillar, with both sides agreeing to accelerate collaboration in renewable energy and sustainable fuels. President Lula described the meeting as “a partnership between two major global powers of the Global South” and highlighted the strategic importance of India–Brazil relations.
“My dear friend Modi, it is a reason of happiness for me to return to this country for the sixth time. The meeting between India and Brazil is a meeting of superlatives. We are not just the two biggest democracies of the Global South. This is a meeting of a digital superpower with a renewable energy superpower,” he said. He emphasised the importance of multilateral cooperation, adding, “A turbulent global scenario requires our countries to strengthen and deepen our strategic dialogue. India and Brazil are crucial voices at the UN, the WTO and G20.”
President Lula was accompanied by a delegation of leading business figures and participated in the 2nd AI Impact Summit, as well as a state banquet hosted by Droupadi Murmu.
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