The 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi has concluded, but its echoes continue to be heard beyond geopolitics, with Indian music emerging as an unexpected highlight of the gathering. As the returning world leaders share glimpses of their visit, internet users can’t stop talking about Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s careful selection of Bollywood tracks for each photo he posted.
Posting a video on Instagram of Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcoming him to Bharat Mandapam, the venue where the meetings were held, Ibrahim picked the song ‘ Tujhe Dekha To Ye Jana Sanam’ from the Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol-starrer film ‘ Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ . But one of his most interesting choices of music was for his post about meeting with the Iranian delegation. The track is about joining hands and moving forward together, making it a correct fit to forward the message of togetherness. The Malaysian leader wasn’t the only one who used music to send their diplomatic messaging forward. Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Sugiono also used Bollywood music from the movie ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ around President Prabowo Subianto’s visit. Even in the midst of this polarisation, we actually forged a consensus. If you look at it, the toughest issue of the day was the West Asia conflict. But we were able to get out a statement to which everybody agreed.”
For his post about meeting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Ibrahim chose the song ‘ Saathi Haath Badhana’ from the 1957 film ‘ Naya Daur’ . Another post that grabbed attention was Ibrahim’s picture with Russian President Vladimir Putin, for which he selected ‘ Chale Chalo’ from the 2001 Aamir Khan-starrer ‘ Lagaan’ — signifying the message of moving together.
India said the BRICS Summit in Delhi, held against the backdrop of a “very polarised world”, was a success. Talking about the summit, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said, “The BRICS Summit was taking place in a very polarised world – there were two major conflicts, big divides and very strong opinions and interests.
During his India tour, Ibrahim also met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. Sharing pictures of his feast with the Opposition leaders, Ibrahim chose ‘ Aisa Des Hai Mera’ from the movie ‘ Veer-Zaara’ — a song that celebrates the cultural diversity of India.
