"Mujhe bahut khushi hui": Macron drops linguistic surprise with Hindi farewell to PM Modi
Paris, June 18
In a remarkable departure from standard diplomatic protocol, French President Emmanuel Macron gave Prime Minister Narendra Modi a warm and unusual farewell in Hindi at the end of the Indian leader's visit, drawing attention with his effort to address Modi in the Indian language.
The unprecedented linguistic gesture unfolded in a special video message captured to mark the culmination of the high-profile tour, where Macron began by saying, "Priya mitra Narendra, mujhe bahut khushi hai, daure ke liye swagat karte, France Bharat ki dosti amar rahe." After delivering the Hindi lines, Macron smiled and remarked, "I hope it was correct." (Dear friend Narendra, I am very happy, welcome for the visit, may the friendship between France and India remain eternal).
Seamlessly pivoting from his light-hearted multilingual attempt back to English, the French President also thanked Modi for his visit and described it as "very fruitful", while expressing hope of meeting him again in February.
Underscoring the deep personal camaraderie and geopolitical synergy defining the partnership, he then continued his message in English, saying, "Priye mitr Narendra Modi. Thank you for your visit. Thank you for our friendship. It was a very fruitful visit. France loves you. We are looking forward to seeing you again soon, in February. Jai Hind."
This high-octane diplomatic interaction occurred on the grand stage of the G7 Summit, where PM Modi participated in discussions over the last two days and held bilateral meetings with several world leaders, including US President Donald Trump.
The foundational matrix for this robust summitry was established on June 14, when PM Modi held bilateral talks with Macron at Villa Kerylos in Nice in their first meeting since the elevation of India-France ties to the level of 'Special Global Strategic Partnership' earlier this year.
Set against the scenic backdrop of the French coast, the two leaders held extensive discussions covering diverse aspects of bilateral relations. They expressed satisfaction at the excellent growth and depth of bilateral defence collaboration across all domains and agreed to further intensify it with a focus on co-design, co-development, and co-production of defence platforms and advanced technologies.
Looking beyond traditional security boundaries to concrete futuristic milestones, both leaders noted the rich legacy of cooperation in the space sector and discussed furthering collaboration in human spaceflight and space situational awareness. They also discussed ways to expand private-sector collaboration in space.
Infusing a strong element of modern economic drive into their strategic agenda earlier in the day, PM Modi and Macron interacted with startups and explored new-age and cutting-edge innovations across sectors at VivaTech 2026.
— ANI
Reader Comments
As someone from the US, I find this delightful. Macron learning Hindi shows how important India has become globally. Though I wonder if this is more optics than substance? Still, a nice gesture.
Macron ka 'Jai Hind' bolna to dil jeet liya! 🚀 India-France ka space collaboration aur defense manufacturing - yeh strategic partnership ko strong banata hai. But I hope we also negotiate better deals on Rafale and other tech transfers.
Cute! But honestly, isn't this a bit performative? World leaders should focus on real issues like climate change and trade, not language gimmicks. That said, I appreciate the effort to connect culturally.
'France Bharat ki dosti amar rahe' - yeh lines kaafi emotional kar di! 😢 As an Indian, I feel proud that our PM is getting such respect from major world leaders. But I wish the media would also cover the actual agreements signed, not just the photo ops.
I'm Canadian and this is impressive diplomacy. Macron saying 'France loves you' to Modi is a level of warmth rarely seen in international relations. India's global standing is clearly rising. Kudos!
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