New Delhi, May 21 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni with Shirui and Muga silk stoles and a marble inlay work box with Pandit Bhimsen Joshi and MS Subbulakshmi CDs.

The Shirui Lily silk stole draws its inspiration from the misty heights of Shirui Kashong Peak in Manipur. It is inspired by the rare Shirui Lily, a delicate bell-shaped flower with pale pinkish-white petals that blooms nowhere else in the world.

For the Tangkhul Naga community of Manipur, the Shirui Lily symbolizes purity, identity, and cultural pride. The stole therefore carries not only the beauty of Himalayan craftsmanship, but also the spirit of indigenous tradition and folklore. The lily also holds deep cultural resonance in It...