Narendra Modi, Joko Widodo fly kites for peace, progress in Indo-Pacific, beyond

Flying kites, visit to mosque, inaugurating exhibition related to the Ramayana and Mahabharata, addressing Indian diaspora, besides holding bilateral talks with President Joko Widodo was all in a day's work for Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his first-ever official visit to Indonesia.

PM Modi and his Indonesian counter-part flew kites as they inaugurated the first joint kite exhibition themed on Indian epics at Jakarta's National Monument. The Kite Exhibition showcased the strong cultural links between India and Indonesia. "Cultural connect touching the skies! Ramayana themed joint kite exhibit unveiled...Ahmedabad and Jakarta Kite Museums exchange MoU," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a tweet.

The theme of the exhibition was mythological epics, and the Ramayana-themed kites were designed by Indonesian artists, while India organisers contributed kites with the Mahabharata theme.

Modi also visited the iconic Arjuna Wijaya Chariot monument and paid a visit to Indonesia's grand Istiqlal Mosque, the largest in southeast Asia. President Widodo guided him through the premises, which was built to commemorate Indonesian independence and opened to the public in 1978.