Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday shared a remarkable experience from his visit to Laos on the 115th episode of his monthly radio address, ‘Mann Ki Baat’.
During his trip, which coincided with Navratri, PM Modi attended a performance of “Phalak Phalam,” the Lao version of the Ramayana. He was struck by the devotion and dedication of local artists to the epic, which mirrored the reverence Indians have for the Ramayana.
“A few weeks ago, I also went to Laos. It was the time of Navratri and there I saw something amazing. Local artists were presenting “Phalak Phalam” – ‘Ramayana of Laos’. There was the same devotion in their eyes, the same dedication in their voices, that we have for Ramayana,” PM Modi said.
PM Modi visited Laos on October 10 at the invitation of Laos’s Prime Minister, Sonexay Siphandone, to attend the 21st ASEAN-India and the 19th East Asia Summits.
Upon arrival, he was welcomed by the Minister of Home Affairs of Laos, Vilayvong Bouddakham. PM Modi was also accorded a ceremonial Guard of Honour.
Following that, he interacted with the Indian diaspora in Vientiane. He greeted Indian community members as they were excited to meet him outside the hotel in Laos.
The Prime Minister also met several world leaders on the sidelines of ASEAN-India, and East Asia summits in Laos.
After he addressed the 21st ASEAN-India summit in Vientiane, Prime Minister Modi met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
During his two-day visit, he held meetings with leaders from Laos, Thailand, and New Zealand. He also met with other top leaders like South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, and the newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
In his address at the East Asia Summit PM Modi said India has always supported ASEAN unity and centrality and that ASEAN is at the centre of ASEAN’s Indo-Pacific vision as well as Quad cooperation.
The East Asia Summit refers to the Meeting of Heads of State/Governments of the EAS participating countries, which is convened annually.
The EAS process was initiated in 2005 with the convening of the 1st East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
At its inception, the East Asia Summit comprised 16 participating countries, namely ASEAN Member States, Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea. In 2011, the US and Russia joined at the 6th East Asia Summit in Bali.