NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday planted a Kadamb sapling at his residence, 7 Lok Kalyan Marg. The sapling was a personal gift from King Charles III of the United Kingdom, on PM Modi’s 75th birthday, shared as part of PM Modi’s “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” initiative. A video of the act shows the Prime Minister planting the sapling and watering it himself.Earlier on September 17th on the day of PM’s birthday, in a post on social media, the British high commission in New Delhi said, “His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to send a Kadamb tree to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday.”The post further noted, “The gesture, inspired by PM Modi’s ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative, reflects their shared commitment to environmental conservation.”This act of green diplomacy follows the PM’s July visit to the UK, where he met King Charles III at Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. During that meeting, PM Modi had gifted the monarch a Sonoma tree sapling, also under the same initiative. “During his visit to the UK in July, PM Modi gifted His Majesty the King a ‘Sonoma’ tree as part of the same initiative. Collaboration on climate and clean energy is a key pillar of the Commonwealth and the UK-India partnership as set out by the two PMs [PM Modi and Keir Starmer] in Vision 2035,” the British high commission added.PM Modi’s July visit also included discussions with King Charles on a range of shared interests, including the India-UK free trade agreement (CETA), education, health, and wellness practices like Yoga and Ayurveda, which both leaders have expressed interest in.“We also talked about environmental protection and sustainability,” PM Modi had said at the time, noting King Charles’s long-standing advocacy on climate and nature.The Kadamb tree, native to the Indian subcontinent and revered in Indian culture, adds symbolic depth to the gesture, reinforcing the message of environmental responsibility through tradition and diplomacy.
