Modi-Abe meet: Of hugs, roadshows, cultural dekko and dinner diplomacy

For the first time as PM, Modi visited a mosque in Ahmedabad with his Japanese counterpart

In a first by two Prime Ministers, India's Narendra Modi and Japan's Shinzo Abe participated in an eight kilometre long roadshow in Ahmedabad dotted with cultural performances that showcased a slice of India to the visiting dignitary. Later, the two leaders engaged in tete-a-tete over a Gujarati-Japanese dinner at a city heritage hotel where they discussed about strengthening areas of "multi-faceted cooperation" between the two countries.

The highlight of the day's events, however, was Modi's guided tour to Abe and his spouse Akie Abe of the 400-year-old Sidi Saiyed Mosque in the eastern fringes of old Ahmedabad - his first