Tractors, ballet, tabla get prominence in Prez Kovind's official speech

Normally, speeches delivered at official banquets for visiting foreign heads of states in the Rashtrapati Bhavan tend to be a tedious affirmation of their friendships.

President Ram Nath Kovind has chosen to deliver short speeches that more directly convey India's ties with the countries whose heads of state are on an official state.

On Tuesday evening, raising a toast for Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, Kovind told him that "our farmers owe a lot to your country, be it for the potash we import or the famed Belarusian tractors. These have helped them in agriculture and raised their yields and contributed to our food security."

Kovind was also delighted to learn that Hindi would soon be taught at the Belarusian State University.

"We share many commonalities. We both play hockey, though on different surfaces. And we both like Bollywood, though with different sub-titles."

Lastly, the President said, "and while you draw upon the vigour of yoga to make your gymnasts do the perfect vault, we try to capture the beauty of ballet to the rhythm of the table."

On his part, Lukashenko, who has been visiting India at an interval of 10 years since 1997, said he looked forward big trade links under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plan for infrastructure build-up under "Make in India." Both countries signed 10 pacts for joint projects in various fields.