PM Modi gifts German Chancellor Angela Merkel Ladakhi woollen khadi stole, Ratnam pen

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is currently on a 3-day visit to India was gifted a handloom woollen khadi stole from Ladakh and a Ratnam pen by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.

The handloom woollen khadi stole, popularly known as 'Call of Ladakh' is hand-spun using sheep wool on a traditional charkha by the native women of Ladakh in winter.

The pen gifted to the German Chancellor is named after KV Ratnam, who was popularised by Mahatma Gandhi after he wrote a letter commending the fountain pen made of indigenous material by Ratnam. The pens are still produced to this day by KV Ratnam and Sons - Ratnam Ballpen Works, a company run by KV Ratnam's successors. KV Ratnam took on the challenging task after Mahatma Gandhi requested him to develop a pen made entirely of raw materials in India.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on November 1. India-Germany delegation level talks were held in the presence of both the leaders. Angela Merkel is in India for the 5th India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultation.

India and Germany signed over 20 agreements in various fields which includes Artificial Intelligence, green urban mobility, and agriculture.

Ahead of the visit, Merkel lauded "the largest democracy in the world" and said that her country would want to "work in the economics field" with New Delhi, especially relating to "issues of smart cities, renewable energy and new forms of mobility". 

"We will talk about how we can work towards climate protection and sustainable development in our relationship" and discuss "foreign and security policy issues--that means our discussion will cover a large sepctrum," she said. 

Adding further, Merkel said she is "especially impressed by the developmental dynamics of India" and it is important that "we, as Germans, the largest trade partner of India in the EU, work further for the strengthening of our relationship and learn from India... that would be a good win-win situation for both countries."

While Chancellor Merkel last visited India in October 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been to Germany 4 times -- first in April 2015 when India was the partner country at Hannover Messe, which is one of the world's largest trade fairs and then twice in 2017 - for the 4th IGC meet and G20 Summit - and then again last year.