PM Modi Receives Gifts With Historical, Cultural Linkages From French President Macron: All About Them

Prime Minister Narendra Modi received three gifts of historical and cultural significance from French President Emmanuel Macron during his France visit. Know what are they.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Thursday conferred with the highest civilian honour of France 'Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour' by French President Emmanuel Macron. This award comes in recognition of the Prime Minister's role in the excellent relationship of friendship and trust between France and India. Apart from the highest award, Macron gifted PM Modi some other things as a mark of his visit to France. Here is everything about the gift that PM Modi received:

Gifts PM Modi Received From French President Macron

1. A framed facsimile of the photograph “A Parisian presenting flowers to a Sikh”, 14  July 1916 

This photo was taken on the Champs-Élysées during the military parade of 14 July 1916 by a photo reporter from the Meurisse news agency. The original is located at the National Library of France. As per an official release, it depicts a passer-by giving flowers to a Sikh viceroy’s commissioned officer (VCO) from the Indian Expeditionary Force (IEF) deployed in France. At the time this snapshot was taken, the Battle of the Somme, in which the IEF were fighting, had already begun. 

In World War I, some 1.3 million Indians volunteered to fight for Britain, including 877,000 combatants.  Over 70,000 of them lost their lives, including about 9,000 in France and Belgium. Most of these combatants were from “warrior peoples” in the north of the Indian subcontinent, like the Sikh soldiers marching on the Champs-Élysées. 

This photo pays tribute to the Indian soldiers who fought in Europe alongside France in 1914-1918, in the context of several Indian battalions partaking in the parade on 14 July 2023. It also evokes India and France’s long-standing shared battle to defend universal values, the statement added.

 

2. Reproduction of the Charlemagne chessmen (11th century) 

Chaturanga, the common ancestor of European and Chinese chess, appeared in India from the 7th century CE. The release added that Prime Minister Modi is himself a chess enthusiast. During his term as Chief Minister of Gujarat, he attended the world record event for the most games of chess played simultaneously in one location, in Ahmedabad in December 2010. 

The “Charlemagne” chessmen are stored at the Cabinet des Médailles at the National Library of France, and were formerly at the Treasury of the Basilica of Saint-Denis. They take their name from the legend stating that they were given as a gift to the Frankish Emperor by the Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid. In actuality, they were made at the end of the 11th century, probably in Southern Italy, given the equipment used by the characters and the presence of elephants as bishops. 

This reproduction made of bronze-filled PLA comprises the 16 pieces available to the player at the start of a game of chess (king, queen, two elephants (bishops), two knights, two quadrigas (rooks) and eight foot soldiers (pawns). It was made by the French start-up Cosmyx 3D, which specializes in the 3D printing of art and technical objects, and which took part in the Fabriqué en France (Made in France) exhibition from 30 June to 2 July 2023. 

This unique item represents both the long history of trade between India and Europe, with the elephant piece recalling the Indian origins of the game of chess, and the expertise of French companies in terms of innovation and new technologies.

 

3. Marcel Proust, Le temps retrouvé (Time Regained), Pléiade + English edition of À la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost Time)  

À la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost Time) is a series of novels by Marcel Proust (1871-1922) published between 1913 and 1927 and recognized as one of the most important works of French literature of the early 20th century. Le temps retrouvé (Time Regained) is its seventh and final volume, which was published posthumously. 

This volume IV of À la recherché du temps perdu from the Bibliothèque de la Pléiade includes the final two volumes of the original work, Albertine disparue (The Fugitive) and Le temps retrouvé (Time Regained), a number of drafts and outlines by the author and much academic commentary. It was published in 1989. 

The English edition, Everyman’s Library, also includes the final two volumes of À la recherché du temps perdu. The translation is by C. K. Scott Moncrieff (1889-1930), a contemporary of Proust and the original translator of Proust into English, as revised by Terence Kilmartin (1922-1991). This version is considered to be one of the best English translations of Proust. 

The Bibliothèque de la Pléiade collection represents academic excellence and the most outstanding contributions of French authors to world culture. As Prime Minister Modi does not speak French, this edition comes with its English translation.

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