New Delhi (March 15, 2025): Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in New Delhi today. The two exchanged special gifts during their meeting.
PM Modi presented Gabbard with a pitcher containing Gangajal, or water from the Ganges, from the recently-concluded Mahakumbh. Modi explained that the 45-day-long festival saw over 66 crore people take a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the now-extinct Saraswati river. "I also took the dip. The Gangajal is from the Kumbh," he said.
In return, Gabbard gave Modi a Tulsi rosary, saying, "This is a gift from me and my new position as director. This is from Tulsi ji, a Tulsi mala."
Gabbard is in India as part of a multi-nation visit. Her Asia tour will conclude with a speech at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi on March 18. The dialogue is a multinational gathering of security officials, and PM Modi invited her to attend.
Earlier today, Gabbard held talks with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The two leaders highlighted "strategic security" as a crucial element of India-US cooperation. They also reviewed progress in military exercises, strategic cooperation, defence industrial supply chains, and maritime information-sharing between the two nations.
Yesterday, Gabbard met with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and participated in a global intelligence conclave in New Delhi. The event was attended by top intelligence officials, including Canadian spy chief Daniel Rogers and UK National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell.