Aarti in Varanasi, hand painting and sand art: How India is gearing up to welcome Vladimir Putin

THe represent is go down for Russian chairman Vladimir Putin's high-stakes see to republic of india on Thursday, where he will hold crucial meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and expand the eight-decade-long ties with New Delhi. President Putin is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi at around 6:35 pm on Thursday — his first trip to India in more than four years.The tightly packed 27-hour engagement, which includes meeting with PM Modi, President Droupadi Murmu, holds greater significance for the time-tested partners as the two sides are expected to discuss trade, crude oil and defence agreements.Also Read: Putin arrives in India today: Su-57 jets, bilateral trade among topics on agenda; dinner planned with PM ModiDuring his stay, Putin will attend a private dinner with PM Modi, accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and visit Rajghat on Friday morning.Ahead of Putin’s Delhi trip — a visit being watched closely in Western capitals — preparations are in full swing to roll out a grand welcome for the Russian president.‘Aarti’, sand art and handmade paintingAhead of Putin's visit, the preparations and ritual welcome were not just limited to Delhi. In Varanasi, some residents performed a ritual 'aarti' for a framed portrait of the Russian leader.A group also organised an "India-Russia Friendship March" in Varanasi to welcome Putin. The march began from Subhash Bhavan and concluded at the Munshi Premchand Smriti Gate. The participants carried posters of PM Modi and Putin and raised slogans — "Bharat-Russia sambandh zindabad", "Bharat-Russia ki dosti" and "World needs India-Russia friendship".Also Read: Ending Ukraine war 'difficult work', says Putin after meeting with Steve Witkoff, Jared KushnerIn Amritsar, Jagjot Singh, a painter, drew a portrait of the Russian leader using acrylic colours in a display of respect.Meanwhile, in Odisha's Puri, internationally-acclaimed sand artist Manas Kumar Sahoo made a sand animation of Putin to mark his visit to India.Agenda of Putin's visitDuring tightly packed itinerary, Putin will hold the 23rd India-Russia summit with Prime Minister Modi. The agenda includes boosting defence cooperation, energy ties, small modular reactors and the impact of Western sanctions on oil trade.PM Modi will host a private dinner for Putin on Thursday and a working luncheon on Friday. The Russian leader is also scheduled to visit Rajghat and attend a state banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu.Both sides are expected to ink several agreements across trade, defence and labour mobility, amid global attention on the Ukraine conflict and India's call for dialogue and diplomacy.