Intense drafting sessions to culture tourism, G20 Sherpa track packs it all

The grand city near the Tungabhadra river is remembered for its historic architecture in the Vijayanagara empire dating back to the 14th century. Hampi—some seven-hour drive away from India’s tech capital Bengaluru — is now playing host to G20 Sherpas from around the world.  Close to four decades after the city was declared a world heritage site, it’s providing a picturesque setting for the leaders to engage in multiple co-drafting sessions over 17 hours to fine tune the proposed joint declaration for the G20 leaders’ summit in September.

While the two prior meetings in Udaipur and Kumarakom familiarised the Sherpas on India’s ambitious G20 agenda keeping development and the Global South in focus, the ongoing summit in Hampi has the flavour of a semi-finale. It is more about the serious business of sorting out differences on the first draft of the leaders’ communique circulated by India. Just before the leaders’ summit in September, the Sherpas will meet one final time in Manesar, near New Delhi, to concretise the joint declaration.

“Hampi is a personal choice of India’s Sherpa (Amitabh Kant). We thought Sherpa talks should not necessarily happen at the most well-known places. With its relaxed atmosphere, this is like a retreat,’’ an Indian G20 official said. “They can’t run away from here, so they are like captive for the talks,” he added laughing. 

While the delegates are huddled together in intense deliberations during daytime at a scenic resort, evenings are for experiencing the rich heritage and the cultural side of the destination.

At a media briefing, Kant expressed gratitude to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for their effort in cleaning up the historical sites and reconstructing the roads for the G20 event. “We hope to develop Hampi as a great destination in the world,” he said.

The cultural menu appears to have been meticulously curated. G20 delegates will visit the Vijaya Vittala temple, the Royal Enclosure, the Yeduru Vasavanna complex and also see the famous Hampi museum. The delegates will also be blessed with garlands by elephants at the Virupaksha temple. That’s not all. There’s going to be yoga and a short trek along the Tungabhadra river bank, followed by a famous Coracle ride. Local handicraft too will be showcased.

Cultural menu comes with real cuisine—that too authentic Kannada dishes, from starters to dessert. On the first day of the Sherpa meet, for example, the delegates got to taste Kori Ajadina (Mangalorean chicken curry), Lotus Stem Ajadina (lotus, stem potato and peas Mangalore style), Yennaigai (a brinjal and peanut delicacy of North Karnataka), Prawn Gassi (a famous Mangalorean curry with shrimps) and Pelata Gatti (jackfruit idli).

Bisi bele bath, jackfruit idli and lotus stem curry topped the list of favourites for a lot of foreign delegates, an organiser pointed out. As the weekend drew closer, the delegates were escorted to the Yeduru Basvanna complex for a sound and light show followed by ‘Samvaad over Saatvik Dinner’ on Friday evening.  

Like at any other international event, local cab drivers had a thing or two to say about G20. “When Hampi chariot was printed on the Rs 50 note, tourism increased significantly. The G20 meeting will now take it to a different level,” Ranganath Nayaka, a young cabbie, said.

An official at the event echoed similar sentiments, saying  Hampi has not got its due all these years. The hope is that the G20 Sherpa meet will truly bring the heritage city to the world stage.