PM Modi, Netanyahu spin charkha, fly kite at Sabarmati Ashram

In a rare sight, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu flew a kite at the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad after paying their obeisance to Mahatma Gandhi.

Modi along with Netanyahu and his wife Sarah reached the ashram where apostle of peace Mahatma Gandhi spent considerable time of his life at around 12 noon after holding a mega roadshow along the 8-km-long stretch that began at Ahmedabad airport.

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Playing the guide, Modi showed the couple around the place as the trio took a tour of different wings of the Ashram, where Gandhi lived for about 12 years with his wife Kasturba, guiding the non-violent struggle for freedom from colonial rule.

Netanyahu and Sarah sat down and tried their hand at the ‘charkha’ (spinning wheel), emblematic of India’s quest for self- reliance during the freedom struggle.

The duo also visited ‘Hridaykunj’ at the Ashram and was presented a copy of Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography, “My Experiments with Truth” by Modi.

After paying floral tributes to a statute of Gandhi at the end of their tour, Modi escorted the guests out in the open and in a few moments of leisure was seen flying a kite with the Israeli PM.

Along with a lesson in kite flying, Modi also explained the importance of the festival of Uttarayan to Netanyahu and his wife Sarah as both of them appeared to be having a ball, pulling the string and trying to manoeuvre the shimmering, grey coloured kite.

Earlier in the day, folk dancers in colourful attires, cultural tableaux and thousands of cheering locals lined the 8-km-long stretch of the grand roadshow from Ahmedabad airport to Sabarmati Ashram.

Modi, along with Netanyahu and his wife Sarah arrived at the Ahmedabad airport at around 11 am and were received by Modi as folk dancers welcomed the dignitaries.

The trio then climbed aboard a black Land Cruiser SUV and began the roadshow as thousands of locals cheered and waived at the dignitaries while holding flags of India and Israel and placards endorsing the strong bond between the two nations.

Contrary to earlier reports, the leaders travelled in the bullet proof SUV instead of an open jeep. In September 2017, Abe and Modi had travelled the same 8-km distance in an open jeep.