Chinese President Xi Jinping skipped a gala dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (September 12) at Bharat Mandapam for leaders attending the BRICS Summit, participating countries and international organisations, news agency PTI quoted sources aware of the matter as saying.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus were among the leaders and dignitaries who attended the gala dinner. Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, who left for home after attending the summit during the day, was also absent.
Why did the Chinese President skip gala dinner?
The reason for the Chinese President’s absence from the gala dinner was not immediately known. However, a source suggested that Xi had returned to his hotel to take rest.
Xi arrived in New Delhi on Saturday afternoon and attended the BRICS Summit, where he also held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The gala dinner came hours after BRICS leaders unanimously adopted the New Delhi Declaration 2026, with the document calling for reforms in global governance and stronger representation of developing countries.
A special cultural performance, "Navarasa– The Universe of Shared Emotions", was presented during the gala dinner. The cultural programme also featured the BRICS Symphony -- "One Rhythm, Many Cultures", bringing together musicians from BRICS member and partner countries in a collaborative musical performance.
Drawing from diverse musical traditions, the symphony seeks to showcase a shared artistic expression reflecting the cultural richness, diversity and spirit of togetherness of the BRICS family.
The menu of the dinner included khandvi mille-feuille, khumb galouti, paneer lababdar, gucchi marmik, carrot-bean poriyal and millet pulao. The dessert menu included Old Delhi fruit cream with jalebi and shahtoot phirni.
Malaysian PM sings Kishore Kumar's 'Khwab Ho Tum'
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim added a Bollywood touch to his India visit for the 18th BRICS Summit, surprising people with an impromptu rendition of Kishore Kumar's evergreen classic "Khwab Ho Tum Ya Koi Haqeeqat". A video of the Malaysian leader singing the popular Hindi song in Delhi has gone viral on social media.
Anwar Ibrahim was seen singing "Khwab Ho Tum Ya Koi Haqeeqat", the popular song from the 1965 Bollywood film 'Teen Deviyan'. The song was originally sung by legendary playback singer Kishore Kumar, with music composed by S.D. Burman and lyrics penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri.
The performance took place at a hotel in New Delhi during Anwar's visit for the BRICS Summit. In the video, he can be seen singing with piano accompaniment and appearing fully immersed in the performance. The clip was later shared on social media and quickly attracted attention, particularly among Indian audiences.
India is hosting the BRICS Summit on September 12-13, and it is being attended by the leaders of the 11 member countries and 10 partner countries, besides some international organisations.
(With PTI inputs)
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