Sipu Jha
NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin at Rashtrapati Bhawan for a lavish state banquet on the second day of his India visit, featuring an all-vegetarian menu presented as a traditional thali built around fresh ingredients and aromatic spices. The carefully curated spread was designed to highlight India’s regional diversity and culinary heritage while remaining light, elegant and festive.The meal began with murungelai chaaru soup, a light broth of moringa leaves and moong beans garnished with curry leaf-scented seeds, setting a delicate and comforting tone for the evening. This was complemented by gucchi doon chetin (stuffed morels with white walnut chutney), kaale chane ke shikampuri (black gram kebabs) and vegetable jhol momo served with chutney, offering a mix of textures and flavours that moved from earthy to tangy and subtly spiced.
Putin attends lavish banquet at Rashtrapati Bhawan hosted by President Droupadi Murmuu (PTI)
For the main course, guests were served zaafrani paneer roll, palak methi matar ka saag, tandoori bharwan aloo, achaari baingan and dal tadka. Together with the variety of gravies and dry preparations, harmonised the international palate while staying firmly rooted in Indian traditions.
Putin was presented with lavish vegetarian menu during the state banquet
These dishes were paired with dry fruit and saffron pulao and an assortment of Indian breads, including lachha parantha, magaz naan, satanaj roti, missi roti and biscuity roti, ensuring ample options for guests to sample different combinations. Desserts featured badam halwa, kesar pista kulfi and fresh fruits, rounding off the meal with a blend of rich, nut-based sweetness and light, refreshing elements.Alongside this culinary journey, a parallel “raag menu” on the table introduced an ensemble of classical instrumentalists on the sarod, sarangi and tabla, who performed Indian classical ragas accompanied by familiar Russian melodies, turning the dinner into a cultural exchange as much as a gastronomic one.
Music score for the lavish banquet at Rashtrapati Bhawan
The melodies included a Bollywood number like “Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani” and Indian classical pieces like raag Shivranjini and raag Yaman, which were harmoniously supplemented by Russian melodies such as an excerpt from “The Nutcracker Suite” as a tribute to Tchaikovsky and “Kalinka”, a Russian folk tune rendered by a naval band. Together, the food and music created a carefully choreographed atmosphere of warmth, respect and soft diplomacy, blending Indian and Russian traditions in a single, memorable evening.Putin underlined the breadth of the India–Russia partnership, saying the joint declaration with PM Modi spans cooperation in politics, security, economy and trade, energy, education and more, and stressed that both countries are working to build a “fairer and just world order,” framing the relationship as one of “go together, grow together.” He later departed Delhi after the banquet, with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar seeing him off at the airport.
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