Kuwait City, December 21 Shortly after landing in Kuwait City, Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his historic two-day visit—the first by an Indian PM to the country in forty-three years—with a thunderous ovation from the Indian community as he arrived at his hotel in Kuwait City on Saturday afternoon.

Mangal Sain Handa, a 101-year-old retired Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer who currently lives in Kuwait who worked in Kuwait, the United Kingdom, Iraq, China, Argentina, and Cambodia before retiring almost 40 years ago, was one of those who had a cordial meeting with Prime Minister Modi.

In addition to welcoming Handa, PM Modi posed for pictures with his family.

Shreya Juneja, Handa’s granddaughter, sent a letter to Prime Minister Modi on Friday asking him to see her grandpa while he was in Kuwait.

Prime Minister Modi, who has a sizable fan base both domestically and internationally and who likes to personalize his interactions with the Indian diaspora while traveling abroad, replied to Juneja’s social media post on Saturday, just before he boarded Air India One.

“Certainly! PM Modi tweeted, “I am excited to meet Mangal Sain Handa Ji in Kuwait today.”

Copies of the Ramayana and Mahabharata, which Abdullah Baron translated into Arabic and Abdullateef Alnesef published, were also sent to the prime minister.

The biggest expat population in Kuwait, the Indian community, is still essential to fostering closer ties between the two countries.

PM Modi had said in his Saturday departure statement that his visit would be a chance to outline a future collaboration plan for the benefit of the people and the area.

“I eagerly look forward to meeting the Indian diaspora in Kuwait who have immensely contributed to the strengthening of bonds of friendship between the two nations,” stated PM Modi.

During his two-day visit to the West Asian country, the prime minister is also expected to visit a labor camp and engage with the Indian diaspora at a community gathering.