PM Modi France Visit / Macron gave a gift to PM Modi, what is that historical gift, on which he will be proud

During PM Narendra Modi's visit to France, there has been further deepening in the relations between the two countries. Where India called France its true friend. On the other hand, France described mutual trust as historical. During this visit of PM Modi, President Emmanuel Macron also gave gifts to PM Modi. There is such a gift in this, in which the history of the bravery of the country is also visible.

Vikrant Shekhawat : Jul 14, 2023, 10:51 PM

PM Modi France Visit: During PM Narendra Modi's visit to France, there has been further deepening in the relations between the two countries. Where India called France its true friend. On the other hand, France described mutual trust as historical. During this visit of PM Modi, President Emmanuel Macron also gave gifts to PM Modi. There is such a gift in this, in which the history of the bravery of the country is also visible. French President Emmanuel Macron gifted Prime Minister Narendra Modi a framed replica of a photograph taken in 1916. The special thing about this replica is that it shows a Parisian man offering flowers to a Sikh army officer.

Officials here said Modi was also presented with a replica of the 11th-century 'Charlemagne Chessmen' and copies of Marcel Proust's novel 'A la Research du Temps Perdu', published between 1913 and 1927. The novel is considered one of the masterpieces of French literature of the early 20th century.

Replica of photo of military parade of July 14, 1916 presented to PM Modi

The year 1916 photo was taken by a photojournalist of the Murisse news agency on the Champs-Élysées during a military parade on July 14. This original picture is kept in the National Library of France. In this World War I photograph, a local passer-by is seen offering flowers to a Sikh Viceroy's Commissioned Officer (VCO) of the Indian Expeditionary Force (IEF) stationed in France. Offering this flower shows that Indian soldiers fought with great valor during the First World War. President Macron also mentioned the Punjab Regiment during the joint press conference.

1.3 million Indians fought on behalf of Britain in the First World War

In the First World War, about 1.3 million Indians participated on the British side. More than 70,000 lives were lost in this war. Of these, about 9,000 people were from France and Belgium. The 'Charlemagne' chessmen got their name from King Charlemagne of the Franks, who was gifted this ivory chess set by the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid.