Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official engagements abroad are generally personified by the flavour of India. The decor (flower arrangements feature the tricolour), cultural programmes have Indian dance and music and of course the banquets are marked by Indian cuisine and generally are vegetarian, a nod to the PM's choice.


So, at the banquet hosted in honour of the Prime Minister at Tashkent in Uzbekistan, last evening, there were vegetarian dishes on the menu had to the accompaniment of Indian music.


The menu, which was tweeted by MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup featured biryani pilaf, broccoli cream soup, steamed rice with vegetables. For dessert, there were fruits and berry cuts.


During the PM's previous trips to China, France and Germany, menu was largely vegetarian with a distinct Indian presence.


Ahead of the banquet, Modi said that his visit to the five central Asian countries was the 'start of a new journey of an ancient relationship. The PM spoke about Tashkent's special connection to India. It was in Tashkent that former PM Lal Bahadur Shastri, passed away nearly 50 years ago, after signing a peace pact with Pakistan.


At the start of the visit, the PM gifted Uzbek President Islam Karimov a specially-commissioned reproduction of Khamsa-i-Khusrau, by Amir Khusrau.


Pic: The menu at the banquet tweeted by MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup. Click on the picture for a larger image.