Kem chho, Modi asks Chinese delegates; maja ma, they reply

In a first, the women battalion of the State Reserve Police (SRP) presented the guard of honour to Xi and the First Lady. The police band performed with the band of Swaminarayan sect of Maninagar.

Around 30 women personnel of the SRP were selected to present the guard of honour, led by deputy SP of Surendranagar district, Panna Momaya.

Girls dressed in chaniya cholis welcomed the delegates, who walked under colourful traditional umbrellas from Kutch.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi waited at the Hyatt Hotel in Vastrapur where the MoUs were to be inked. At the porch of the hotel, which is attached to a swanky mall on the bank of Vastrapur lake, Modi was seen taking  a slip out of his pocket to read something, just before Xi and his wife  arrived in a black BMW.

Modi then took the couple inside to guide them through the heritage gallery, especially put up by the hotel with panels on the Buddhist heritage in Gujarat. Modi had put up the same images on Twitter Monday.

The Chinese delegation also had many surprises for their Indian counterparts at the hotel. During the interaction with the Chinese delegation, Modi addressed all the individuals, including many Chinese officials, by name. Some invitees later told The Indian Express that some Chinese delegates interacted with Modi in Gujarati, responding with “Maja ma” to  Modi’s “Kem Chho?” —  a typical Gujarati greeting.

“I was completely taken aback with the kind of response that came from the Chinese side. A girl next to me wanted to shake hands with Modi. Modi readily agreed and shook hands with her. The woman couldn’t believe it, she was ecstatic,” said a source.