PM Modi gifts Russian translation of Thirukkural to President Putin during BRICS Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted Russian President Vladimir Putin a Russian translation of Thirukkural during bilateral talks in New Delhi on Friday. The 1,330-couplet Tamil classic by Thiruvalluvar addresses ethics, virtue, governance, love and conduct of life. By presenting the work in Russian, Modi highlighted India's cultural heritage while making it accessible to the visiting leader.

Putin arrived in India for the 18th BRICS Summit, hosted on September 12–13. The Modi-Putin discussions are expected to cover expansion of economic and industrial ties, with bilateral trade targets of $100 billion by 2030. Areas of focus include railways, tunnelling, steel value chains, and civil nuclear energy cooperation.