Ahmedabad

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday took part in the International Kite Festival 2026 at the Sabarmati Riverfront, where the two leaders were seen flying a kite depicting Lord Hanuman, highlighting the cultural dimension of the German leader’s first official visit to India.

The leaders jointly inaugurated the festival and interacted with participants, reflecting a blend of cultural celebration and diplomatic engagement between India and Germany. Visuals from the event showed Prime Minister Modi and Chancellor Merz enjoying the vibrant atmosphere of the festival, which draws kite flyers from India and across the globe.

📍 Ahmedabad, Gujarat: PM Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz fly a kite at the International Kite Festival 🇮🇳🤝🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/aHthS4epJZ

— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) January 12, 2026

Held ahead of Makar Sankranti, the three-day International Kite Festival will conclude on January 14. This year’s edition features participation from 135 international kite enthusiasts representing 50 countries, along with 65 flyers from different parts of India and 871 local participants from Gujarat.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi welcomed Chancellor Merz at the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad. Both leaders paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, and the German Chancellor signed the visitors’ book at the Ashram.

Chancellor Merz’s visit coincides with the celebration of 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and Germany and 25 years of the India-Germany Strategic Partnership. He arrived in India on a two-day official visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi and was received by Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat at the airport.

The two leaders are scheduled to hold delegation-level talks at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, where they will review progress in bilateral cooperation and explore ways to further strengthen collaboration in trade and investment, technology, education, skilling and mobility. Discussions will also cover defence and security, science and innovation, green and sustainable development, and people-to-people ties.

On January 13, Chancellor Merz will visit Bosch and the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE) before departing for Germany.

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Prime Minister Modi and Chancellor Merz last met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada, where they agreed to further expand the India-Germany Strategic Partnership. The visit is also taking place ahead of the India-EU Summit scheduled for January 27.