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In Sweden, S Jaishankar's ‘ghee-shakkar’ quip leaves audience in splits | Watch
The external affairs minister was interacting with members of the Indian diaspora, on Sunday.
S Jaishankar, who is in Sweden on his first visit to the country as India's external affairs minister, on Sunday had his audience in splits, when he invoked a popular Hindi idiom while interacting with members of the Indian diaspora in Stockholm, the Nordic nation's capital and largest city.
“(I) don't know how many of you follow Hindi…but you know, there is a term, which says aapke muhn mein ghee-shakkar (what you are saying, hope it comes true),” Jaishankar said, as the audience laughed and clapped.
It was not clear from the video what led to the minister using the phrase. According to reports, however, Jaishankar's response came after some Stockholm-based Indians told him that India's global stature was on the up with each passing day.
The minister, meanwhile, explained the meaning of the term and continued: “…but I actually can see this globalisation of Indian culture, happening. And it is happening for a variety of factors. One, of course, is because of the spread of the (Indian) diaspora. The second is, we ourselves, I think, are much more confidently expressing it. It's important we try to find ways of making it (globalisation of Indian culture) more universal.”
A ‘very good example’ of this, he remarked, was the International Day of Yoga, introduced by prime minister Narendra Modi, and which, since its very first iteration, has been celebrated internationally on June 21 each year.
“I must say, in all honesty, none of us actually could even imagine it would catch on, the way it does now. There is not a country in the world where that enthusiasm of yoga is not there. Perhaps it was there, it may have been dormant…we may have done something to awaken it and take it to another level,” said Jaishankar.
S Jaishankar in Sweden
The former foreign secretary is on a 3-day visit to attend the EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum (EIPMF). Also, 2023 marks 75 years of diplomatic ties between India and Sweden.
(With PTI inputs)
