A mix of the ordinary and exotic: Manmohan Singh's collection of teacups

New Delhi: PM Manmohan Singh receives gifts worth over lakhs during his foreign visits. If one wonders what PMs are gifted when they go on official tours, here is the list. Singh's gifts range from a humble towel or gamcha (valued at Rs300) to gold-plated tea sets, carpets, paintings, jewellery box, silver bowl (valued at Rs20,000), even a ubiquitous Sony Handycam, to even more exotic ostrich eggshell bowls. But over the years, Singh has been quietly building a collection of teacups, saucers and pots that he received as gifts and can be taken with him once he leaves 7 Race Course Road this May, according to The Telegraph. The cuppa has become a simmering pot in politics because of Modi's refrain that he started out as a tea vendor. Aided by a tasteless repartee by a Congress leader, the BJP has launched a series of interactions with Modi titled Chai pe Charcha. But a storm is not forecast in Singh's teacups as he has gone by the book while retaining the gifted sets. Singh, known for his frugal lifestyle, has despatched to the government 38 of the 44 gifts he had received from heads of state and government, ambassadors and other foreign visitors since July last year. The gifts forwarded to the toshakhana, a repository managed by the external affairs ministry, include a Rs 9-lakh Rolex watch, a Rs 1.2-lakh jewellery set, a Rs 35,000 bracelet, and a Mughal-era coin Russian President Vladimir Putin gave Singh last October. All the six gifts Singh has taken home are tea sets. None of the tea sets is that expensive. They are valued below Rs 5,000 — the limit above which the recipients will have to pay the difference if they want to retain them, according to government documents listing gifts from foreigners declared by all Indian officials and representatives between July and December 2013. Singh's choices offer a rare peek into the Prime Minister's private life and preferences, which he has kept away from the limelight despite holding the top job for 10 years. “I can tell you that Dr Singh and Mrs Gursharan Kaur greet personal guests with tea at their home,” a close friend of the Prime Minister's family told The Telegraph. “I can't say why the Prime Minister has chosen tea sets, but yes, I've always felt that Mrs Kaur, in particular, has an affinity for tea.” Singh, too, drinks tea but with artificial sweeteners as he is diabetic, said an official who has travelled with the Prime Minister on several trips. Such everyday habits tickle the imagination of those entrusted with the delicate task of choosing gifts for international guests. India, for instance, discreetly enquired about what President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden may like, when Obama hosted Singh to his first state dinner after taking office in 2009. Eventually, Singh gifted the well-read Obama five books, including an English translation of the Panchatantra, the stylish Michelle a beige pashmina shawl and the folksy Biden a statue of a jungle fowl rooster.