Namo style impresses NRI family in Kuwait : PM meets 101-year-old ex-IFS officer

PM meets 101-year-old ex-IFS officer in Kuwait after granddaughter's request

PM Modi's historic Kuwait visit saw a touching moment as he met 101-year-old former IFS officer Mangal Sain Handa, fulfilling a social media request by the latter's granddaughter.

Notably, Modi's Kuwait visit, the first by an Indian prime minister in 43 years, was on the invitation of Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. 

Modi also interacted with the Indian community in Kuwait on Saturday, Dec 21. 

The Prime Minister had a heartfelt meeting with 101-year-old Mangal Sain Handa, a former Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer. 

The interaction was made possible following a social media appeal by Handa's granddaughter.

“It's an honour to receive a response from you, sir! 

You've won our hearts once again. Nanaji @MangalSainHanda is overjoyed, and his smile means the world to us. We're deeply grateful for this kind gesture,” said Shreya Juneja on X.

Known for his popularity among the Indian diaspora, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (Dec 21) won hearts on social media by promising to meet a Kuwait-based retired Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, albeit, on the request of his granddaughter.

Shreya Juneja had sent a request to Modi to meet her 101-year-old grandfather, Mangal Sain Handa, an ex-IFS officer, during his visit to Kuwait.

Though she wasn’t sure of getting a positive response, a reply from PM Modi, who loves to give a personal touch to his engagement with the Indian diaspora during foreign visits, left her overjoyed.

“It's an honour to receive a response from you, sir! ......," Ms Shreya Juneja on X.

Earlier, accepting her request for meeting Handa, PM Modi had communicated on X, 

“Absolutely! I look forward to meeting @MangalSainHanda Ji in Kuwait today.”

Ex-IFS officer Handa served in Kuwait, the UK, Iraq, China, Argentina, and Cambodia, before retiring about four decades ago. One X user said, “That’s the level of connect PM has with people who may never have thought of meeting Bharat’s PM by writing to him on social media.”

Envious of Shreya’s success in reaching the PM, many other social media users on X sent in requests to her to share contact details of PM Modi with her.

Modi’s plans to engage with the Indian diaspora come in the backdrop of his crucial visit to Kuwait, which aims to strengthen bilateral relations and address issues concerning Indian expatriates, especially following the Mangaf building fire incident.

At least 46 Indian workers were killed on June 12 when a residential building in Mangaf in Kuwait's Ahmadi Governorate as gutted. 

There were 196 migrant workers in the building at the time of the incident and 50 out of these were killed and 50 injured.

PM Modi’s landmark two-day visit to Kuwait, starting Saturday, marks the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the Gulf nation in 43 years. The trip, undertaken at the invitation of the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, underscores the deep and growing ties between the two countries.

On Sept 4, 2023, PM had greeted Handa on his 100th birthday.

 

Handa then had  thanked the Prime Minister for his gesture, stating, "My heartfelt gratitude to our hon'ble @PMOIndia @narendramodi for sending his kind wishes on my 100th birthday. It has been worth living for 100 years to witness India grow under his leadership".

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