NewzVille Desk
The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, addressed a community programme in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, today. Malayasia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was also present on the occasion. Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said that the warmth of the greetings reflected the beautiful diversity of the shared culture.
He thanked his dear friend, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, for joining the community celebration. He noted that the Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, came to the airport to welcome him and brought him to the event in his car. “These special gestures reflected Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s love and respect for India and for the people present”, Modi added.
The Prime Minister said that a record-setting cultural performance with more than 800 dancers performing in perfect harmony would be remembered for years to come and congratulated all the performers.
Modi said that he and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had been friends even before he became Prime Minister.
He commended Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s focus on reforms, his great intellect, and his able Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2025.
Recalling that he could not visit Malaysia for the ASEAN Summit last year, the Prime Minister said that he had promised to visit Malaysia soon and had fulfilled that promise.
He noted that this was his first foreign visit in 2026 and expressed happiness at being with the community during the festive period.
The Prime Minister said that he hoped everyone had celebrated Sankranti, Pongal and Thaipusam with great joy.
He noted that Shivaratri was approaching, followed by the beginning of Ramzan and the celebration of Hari Raya, and wished everyone happiness and good health.
Modi said that Malaysia has the second-largest Indian-origin community in the world and noted that there is much that connects Indian and Malaysian hearts.
Referring to the exhibition he had seen a short while ago, he said that it beautifully depicted these connections. “The Indian-origin community is a living bridge linking the two countries. The cultural connections could be seen in shared traditions and flavours, linking Roti Canai with Malabar Parotta and coconut, spices and Teh Tarik, which feel familiar both in Kuala Lumpur and Kochi”, Modi remarked.
PM Modi highlighted that the people of the two countries understand each other well, possibly due to the large number of common words between their languages and Malay, and have heard that Indian movies and music are popular in Malaysia.
Modi noted that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim sings very well, and it is wonderful that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also loves Tamil songs of the legendary MGR.
