Gujarati food on menu, Russian kathak dancers at community event; Moscow gears up to welcome PM Modi

Moscow [Russia], July 8 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to land in Moscow on Monday as part of his two-nation visit to Russia and Austria. Among the Prime Minister's engagements in Moscow is an interaction with the Indian community scheduled for Tuesday.
Amongst the expatriate Indian population in Moscow, there is a palpable air of excitement on PM Modi's visit. Swarup Dutta, an owner of a chain of restaurants in Moscow for 30 years, says that everyone is looking forward to the PM's visit.
" I have been living in Moscow for the last 30 years and I run a chain of restaurants here. Everyone is excited and waiting for him... We have introduced many Gujarati dishes to our menu. Even the menu which has been specially curated for the Prime Minister, we have introduced many new dishes from Gujarat... We made some special dishes for the delegation coming with the Prime Minister... Russians like Indian food. They were adamant to try it first, but when they did, there was no going back," he said
Meanwhile, a vibrant community event is set to highlight cultural ties between India and Russia, featuring performances by Russian artists trained in Kathak dance. Russian artists will showcase their skills in Kathak, a classical Indian dance form they have diligently practised at cultural centres.
Expressing her excitement, Natalia, one of the Russian artists, shared, "I have been learning Kathak dance for the past 7 years, and I am thrilled to finally perform my favourite art form in front of PM Narendra Modi. His visit to Moscow signifies the strong relationship between our two beloved countries."
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia, the Indian Russian business community hopes that the PM will initiate talks on technology exchange with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Expressing his excitement ahead of the PM's visit, Sammy Manoj Kotwani, president of Indian Business Alliance, Indian National Culture Centre SITA said, "When you talk about bilateral ties, Mr Modi knows that he has got one million young population every month seeking jobs. He has a lot of responsibility back home and he understands that we need technology that will only come from the West. He is going to convince Putin to help with the technology."
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for a two-nation visit to Russia and Austria he said that the visit to the two countries will present an opportunity for India to deepen ties with these nations.
In his departure statement, PM Modi said, "Over the next three days, I will be in Russia and Austria. These visits will be a wonderful opportunity to deepen ties with these nations, with whom India has time-tested friendship. I also look forward to interacting with the Indian community living in these countries." (ANI)