Indian diaspora, artists accord warm welcome to PM Narendra Modi in Rome

Rome [Italy], May 20 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday received a warm welcome from the Indian diaspora upon his arrival in Rome for the fifth and final leg of his five-nation tour.The Prime Minister interacted with members of the Indian community and witnessed cultural performances at his hotel. PM Modi also signed an autograph for a child who greeted him with a portrait.Among those who met the Prime Minister was Svamini Shuddhananda Ghiri, who said she was meeting PM Modi for the second time after 2021. She further said that the Sanatana Dharma Samgha had been recognised as an official religion in Italy by the Italian Parliament. "I am very happy and this is the second time we met him. We met him in 2021 and he also continued to sustain and to foster our mission...Sanatana Dharma Samgha is recognised as an official religion here in Italy by the Italian Parliament," she told ANI. Meanwhile, a member of the Indian diaspora expressed happiness after meeting the Prime Minister. "We are very much delighted with the way he came and addressed us and we are very happy and it is the first time we got the chance to meet him. It is a very special moment for us and he has conveyed the message of oneness and togetherness," he told ANI.PM Modi also viewed a painting depicting the ghats of Varanasi, created by an Italian artist inspired by Indian culture. "The experience was fantastic. It was one of the best experiences of my life. He (PM Modi) was very kind, he shook my hand and asked how long it took me to create this painting. For me, this painting is a bridge between the eyes of an Italian artist and the colourful culture of India. This is the holy town of Varanasi. I love India, and my art is greatly influenced by Indian culture," the painter told ANI. An artist who performed to welcome the Prime Minister also shared their excitement after the interaction. "I have stayed in India for 15 years...I am feeling very good after performing to welcome PM Modi," she said. Another artist said the group performed a traditional musical composition based on Raga Hamsadhwani for the Prime Minister. "We played the traditional tune based on Raga Hamsadhwani and we made a composition together with all the musicians, creating this piece together for the Prime Minister of India. I feel full of energy and motivated to spread more of the Indian values and the Indian arts in Italy and all over Europe," the artist told ANI. PM Modi's Italy visit comes amid strong momentum in India-Italy relations, with both sides actively advancing the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-2029, a broad framework for cooperation across multiple areas. These include trade--which reached USD 16.77 billion in 2025--investment, with cumulative FDI of USD 3.66 billion (April 2000-September 2025), as well as defence and security, clean energy, innovation, science and technology, and people-to-people exchanges. Earlier, the Prime Minister was in Norway for the fourth leg of his five-nation tour and before his Oslo visit, he was in Sweden, Netherlands and United Arab Emirates. (ANI)