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PM Modi gifts hand-carved box with Rogan painting to Japan's Fumio Kishida
Modi had earlier gifted a Rogan painting to the Queen of the Kingdom of Denmark, Margrethe II during his three-day Europe tour this month.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a two-day Tokyo visit to attend the Quad Summit, on Tuesday gifted his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida a wooden hand-carved box with Rogan painting from Gujarat.
Modi had also gifted a Rogan painting to the Queen of the Kingdom of Denmark, Margrethe II during his three-day Europe tour earlier this month.
Modi and Kishida undertook a comprehensive stocktaking of the entire framework of the bilateral partnership to carry forward cooperation in diverse areas, including defence manufacturing in India and trade and technology.
Modi held a bilateral meeting with Kishida during which they underscored the importance of maintaining the momentum of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries.
“Both leaders undertook a comprehensive stocktaking of the entire framework of bilateral partnership to carry forward our cooperation in diverse areas, including in the field of defence manufacturing in India, skill development, partnership, trade and technology partnership cooperation, including for resilient supply chains in the region, and other areas,” foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra said at a media briefing.
This is Modi's fifth visit to Japan since becoming prime minister and his second meeting with his Japanese counterpart Kishida.
What is Rogan painting?
Rogan painting is an art of cloth printing practised in Kutch district of Gujarat. In the craft, paint made from boiled oil and vegetable dyes is laid down on fabric using either a metal block (printing) or a stylus (painting). The craft nearly died out in the late 20th century, with Rogan painting being practised by only one family.
The word ‘Rogan’ comes from Persian, meaning varnish or oil. The process of making Rogan painting is very laborious and skilful. Artists place a small amount of this paint paste into their palms. At room temperature, the paint is carefully twisted into motifs and images using a metal rod that never comes in contact with the fabric. Next, the artisan folds his designs into a blank fabric, thereby, printing its mirror image.
In effect, it is a very basic form of printing. Previously, the designs were simple and rustic in nature but with the passage of time, the craft has become more stylised and now is regarded as a high art form.
