- India will provide journalists and delegates with a cultural goodie bag at the 18th BRICS Summit
- The bag includes local products like sattu from Bihar and Arabica coffee from Odisha
- Makhana snack from Bihar and a block-printed stole from Gujarat are also featured in the hamper
India is set to give local and foreign journalists and delegates attending the 18th BRICS Summit a taste of its culture and local products through a special goodie bag. The summit will be held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on September 12 and 13.
The hamper, prepared for journalists and delegates attending the summit, includes nine items, with products from different parts of the country. NDTV journalist Simrin Gupta shared a video on Instagram showing what is inside the BRICS goodie bag.
"India is going vocal for local," Gupta said while unboxing the hamper.
One of the items that stands out is sattu from Bihar, which Gupta described as one of Bihar's, best-kept secrets. Sattu is made from roasted gram and is known for being rich in protein.
"This is India's, or should I say Bihar's, best kept secret," she said while showing the sattu in the hamper. She added that it could become the West's next discovery as a superfood.
The goodie bag also carries 100 percent Arabica specialty coffee from the tribal hills of Odisha. Gupta said the coffee smells "really good" and said that it as another example of India promoting local products at the international summit.
Another popular Indian snack included in the hamper is makhana from Bihar. Gupta called it India's go-to snack and said it has become a collective favourite, after banana chips. The makhana will also give foreign journalists attending the summit a chance to try a snack that is popular across India.
The hamper also includes a block-printed stole from Gujarat, which Gupta described as "absolutely regal" and "so stunning". There is also a coffee mug and a tote bag too for those attending the summit.
The goodie bag comes with another thoughtful addition which is an in-built charging port. This will allow journalists to charge their devices while carrying the bag.
Around 1,200-1,300 journalists are expected to arrive in Delhi to cover the 18th BRICS Summit, including a large number from BRICS member and partner countries.
The government is setting up a special International Media Centre at Bharat Mandapam, where the summit will be held. The centre will help journalists report from the summit, access information and cover the events.
The expanded BRICS grouping has 11 full members - Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the UAE. It also has 10 partner countries - Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
