President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the G20 delegates at a ceremonial dinner hosted by her on 9 September. The delegates witnessed an image of Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University), an ancient monastic university, forming the backdrop at the greeting area.
As per details, the mahavihara, which falls in modern-day Bihar, was in operation between the 5th century and the 12th century. The university’s legacy dates back to Mahavira’s and Buddha’s era, reflecting ancient India’s advancement in cultivating scholarship and dissemination of knowledge.
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Through the image of Nalanda Mahavihara, which also carries the G20 logo on one side and the theme of India’s presidency of the grouping — ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ – One Earth. One Family. One Future’ — on the other, India has set the benchmark for other countries to follow.
Not only Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but President Murmu welcomed the heads of state and other leaders at the beautifully decorated Bharat Mandapam at the entrance spot with the Nalanda Mahavihara in the background.
The prime minister was also seen explaining to some of the G20 leaders, including UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, about the importance of the university.
The officials noted that Nalanda University represents an embrace of diversity, meritocracy, freedom of thought, collective governance, autonomy, and knowledge sharing — all aligning with the core principles of democracy.
Nalanda is a living testament to the enduring spirit of India’s advanced educational pursuit and its commitment to building a harmonious world community, aligning with India’s G20 Presidency theme, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.
Earlier in the day, the G20 group adopted the Delhi Declaration where consensus was achieved on all issues, including the divisive Russia-Ukraine issue, making it a historic win for India’s presidency.
The Delhi Declaration, issued on the first day of the Summit included areas of strong, sustainable, balanced, and inclusive growth, accelerating progress of sustainable development goals, reforms of multilateral development institutions, and reinvigorating multilateralism, which was agreed upon by all participating countries.
The declaration said on the war in Ukraine that leaders of the G20 reiterated their national positions and resolutions adopted at the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly and underscored that all states must act in a manner consistent with the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter in its entirety.
The leaders also called for ‘cessation of military destruction or other attacks on relevant infrastructure’ in the context of emphasizing the importance of sustaining food and energy security.
With agency inputs.
