Brazil President thanks India for 'Sanjeevni Booti' against Covid-19

India had previously cleared commercial exports of COVID-19 vaccines, and the first consignments were shipped to Brazil and Morocco on Friday

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi by saying "dhanyavaad" for supplying the "sanjeevni booti" (the vaccine) against the coronavirus to the South American country, which has reported the second-highest death toll from the Covid-19 disease in the world.

In a tweet on Friday, the Brazilian President said that it was an honour to have India as a "great partner" against the "global obstacle."

"Namaskar, Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) @narendramodi. Brazil feels honoured to have a great partner to overcome a global obstacle by joining efforts," Bolsonaro wrote in a tweet.

"Thank you for assisting us with the vaccines exports from India to Brazil. Dhanyavaad!," he added.

In his tweet, Bolsonaro shared a depiction of Lord Hanuman carrying a mountain with vaccines from India to Brazil. The illustration is inspired from the tale in the Ramayana where Hanuman carries an entire mountain to deliver the Sanjeevani herb, to save the life Lakshmana, the brother of Lord Rama, when he was injured in a battle.

"Dhanyawad, Bharat," the image read (written in the Latin and Hindi text).

Prime Minister Modi also replied to the Brazilian President saying that it was an honour to be a trusted partner during the pandemic adding that the two countries will continue to strengthen cooperation on healthcare.

"The honour is ours, President @jairbolsonaro to be a trusted partner of Brazil in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic together. We will continue to strengthen our cooperation on healthcare," Prime Minister wrote in a tweet dated Saturday.

A flight carrying two million doses of India made coronavirus vaccines landed in Brazil on Saturday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar announced.

"Trust the Pharmacy of the World. Made in India vaccines arrive in Brazil," Jaishankar tweeted.India dispatched two million doses of Covishield vaccines to Brazil on Friday. Covishield has been developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and is being manufactured by Serum Institute of India.

In the last few days, India has supplied COVID-19 vaccines, being manufactured in the country, to neighbouring countries including Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Large consignments of Covishield vaccine doses were flown in a special Indian aircraft to Seychelles, Mauritius and Myanmar on Friday. Contractual supplies are also being undertaken to Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Morocco, Bangladesh and Myanmar.