On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Kuwait-based retired Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer Mangal Sain Handa, as his granddaughter, Shreya Juneja, requested him to meet her 101-year-old grandfather.
Ms Juneja's post read, "Humble request to Hon'ble PM @narendramodi to meet my 101-year-old Nanaji, ex-IFS officer, in Kuwait during tmrw's interaction with the Indian Diaspora. Nana @MangalSainHanda is a great admirer of yours. Details have been emailed to your office."
To everyone's surprise, Mr Modi gave a positive response and said that he looked forward to meeting him in Kuwait. "Absolutely! I look forward to meeting @MangalSainHanda Ji in Kuwait today", he replied to Juneja on X.
His son Dilip Handa told news agency ANI, "This is an experience of a lifetime. PM Modi said he especially came here to meet him (his father). We are grateful to Prime Minister Modi..."
About one million Indians are living in Kuwait as expatriates, the largest diaspora community in the country and Mr Modi interacted with the Indian community there.
His visit to Kuwait is significant in terms of the bilateral relationship between the two countries, especially since this is the first in 43 years by an Indian premier. Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had visited Kuwait last in 1981.
He will be in Kuwait for two days, 21-22nd December 2024 and his visit was undertaken at the invitation of the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
"The Indian community is the largest expatriate community in Kuwait. The visit will provide an opportunity to further strengthen the multifaceted ties between India and Kuwait," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said ahead of PM Modi's visit.
Over the next two days, the Prime Minister is expected to hold several key meetings.
