Gifting Ganga

Visiting foreign delegates usually receive gifts that showcase India’s art and culture. Last week, when a Parliamentary delegation from Mongolia visited, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar gave its members unusual gifts — gangajal (Ganga water) in brass pots and Buddhist tankhas. When Kumar explained the significance of this holy water, some of the Mongol parliamentarians didn’t waste time and gulped it down immediately. Tankhas have become popular in Parliament circles after Kumar gifted US President Barack Obama a tankha during his visit in early November.