Ahmedabad:

Wearing traditional India attire, Prime Minister of Canada Justin Pierre Trudeau, his wife Shophie and 3 children Xavier, Hadrien and Ella-Grace, who are on a week long visit to India, arrived here today on a day long trip to Gujarat.

The visiting PM was accorded a red carpet welcome on his arrival at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport here. He was received by Cabinet minister of Gujarat Ganpat Vasava and Chief Secretary J N Singh.

Clad in maroon red coloured Kurta and cream coloured Chudidar 46 year old Trudeau looked more of a family man than a statesmen with his kids and wife also in Indian attire. He reached Sabarmati Ashram from the airport as the first destination here. He along with wife and children paid tribute to Gandhiji and also tried hands at spinning wheel. In the visitors book of the Ashram he wrote, ‘A beautiful place of peace, humility and truth, that is as needed today as it ever was.’

From the Ashram he and his family went to Akshardham temple in capital Gandhinagar and spent around 40 minutes in its premises.

He will also deliver a guest lecture in IIMA here this afternoon.

Trudeau will also visit Mumbai and Amritsar during his visit and hold wide-ranging talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on February 23.

On February 21, the Canadian prime minister will visit Golden Temple in Amritsar. The next day, he will visit New Delhi’s Jama Masjid, besides delivering a lecture at a gathering of Canadian and Indian business leaders.

The ties between India and Canada have been on an upswing. Around 14 lakh Canadians are of Indian origin and India is Canada’s second largest source of immigrants.

DeshGujarat