Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Sept 12: The Chinese President Xi Jinping was among the few leaders who skipped the gala dinner hosted by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the BRICS guests in New Delhi on Saturday night.
The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed was also among the notable absentees in the dinner but official sources said the Sheikh had returned to Abu Dhabi soon after attending the Summit meeting and could not wait to attend the dinner due to some pressing engagements back home.
Sources also said Mr Xi returned to his hotel to take rest after completing his engagements for the day in Delhi including attending the summit meeting and bilateral talks with Mr Modi and had a quite dinner at the hotel. The Chinese president landed in Delhi on Saturday afternoon itself and had no breathing time.
It was a long day for the leaders. The day was also packed with important diplomatic activity. Xi skipped the dinner because he was tired and exhausted due to the time difference, official sources said. The Chinese president attended the engagements after a long flight, they said.
The Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus were among the leaders and dignitaries who attended the gala dinner.
The gala dinner came hours after BRICS leaders unanimously adopted the New Delhi Declaration 2026, with the document calling for reforms in global governance and stronger representation of developing countries.
A special cultural performance, “Navarasa– The Universe of Shared Emotions”, was presented during the gala dinner. The cultural programme also featured the BRICS Symphony — “One Rhythm, Many Cultures,” bringing together musicians from BRICS member and partner countries in a collaborative musical performance.
Drawing from diverse musical traditions, the symphony seeks to showcase a shared artistic expression reflecting the cultural richness, diversity and spirit of togetherness of the BRICS family.
The menu of the dinner included khandvi mille-feuille, khumb galouti, paneer lababdar, gucchi marmik, carrot-bean poriyal and millet pulao. The dessert menu included Old Delhi fruit cream with jalebi and shahtoot phirni.
The Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim added a Bollywood touch to his India visit for the 18th BRICS Summit, surprising people with an impromptu rendition of Kishore Kumar’s evergreen classic “Khwab Ho Tum Ya Koi Haqeeqat,” the popular song from the 1965 Bollywood film ‘Teen Deviyan,’ A video of the Malaysian leader singing the popular Hindi song originally sung by legendary playback singer Kishore Kumar, with music composed by S.D. Burman and lyrics penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri, in Delhi has gone viral on social media.
The performance took place at a hotel in New Delhi during Anwar’s visit for the BRICS Summit. In the video, he can be seen singing with piano accompaniment and appearing fully immersed in the performance. The clip was later shared on social media and quickly attracted attention, particularly among Indian audiences.
Several union ministers and chief ministers of some states also attended the gala dinner. They included Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal, Ashwini Vaishnaw and Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, chief ministers Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh), Devendra Fadnavis (Maharashtra), Suvendu Adhikari (West Bengal) and Himanta Biswa Sarma (Assam) attended too. The Union ministers and chief ministers came in two buses from Parliament House to central Delhi’s Bharat Mandapam for the dinner.