The overnight light showers came as a divine blessing to give perfect finishing touches to the star-spangled New Delhi as it hosts one of the biggest and the most grandiose of the global events – G-20 – that kicks off Saturday morning at the amazingly beautiful venue – Bharat Mandapam.

The 18th summit of the world’s top 20 economies is being attended by more than 30 heads of state and top officials from the European Union and guest countries and 14 heads of international organizations like the World Bank, IMF, Asian Development Bank, etc.

The two-day Summit would be India’s swan song for its year-long Presidency that left a deep imprint of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s style of focusing on human-centric and inclusive development. Under his leadership, India converted the G-20 Presidency into a peoples’ festival by organizing 200 meetings of various groups of the G-20 across some 62 venues, covering all states.

PM Modi is known for scaling up things – be it his goals for the country’s development or organizing an event. As a senior bureaucrat from Gujarat cadre said, complementing the tradition of PM’s home State, “Gujaratis have the spirit and capacity to convert any occasion into a festival.”

The G-20 Presidency that India holds for the next two months till Brazil takes over officially was a demonstration of India’s ambitions and capacity. Besides, the government incorporated the elements of culture, Indian tradition, and economic development at all levels of the G-20 business - be it group meetings or the final Summit.

In this way, the government also showcased India as an opportunity to engage with through business, tourism, cultural exchanges, education, etc.

PM Modi also set up another trend by hosting bilateral meetings with leaders like US President Joe Biden or Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina at his official residence. This is for the first time such events are hosted at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, as they do in the White House in the USA and 10 Downing Street in the UK.

The video of US President Biden walking with PM Modi in a corridor in 7, Lok Kalyan Marg and watching the Kerale lamps lit on the sides in awe was also posted on social media. ANI news agency released a video of the meeting:

#WATCH | G-20 in India: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit, in Delhi pic.twitter.com/O83JkS3DOQ

— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

At around 10.30 the first session of the G20 Summit: 'One Earth' will take place. One Earth will be one of the main topics of discussion during the session at the G20 leaders' summit. This session will focus on accelerating climate action through increased mitigation and strengthening the agenda of global net zero emission as soon as possible.

Notably, the theme of this year's G20 Summit, which is taking place under India's presidency is “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “One Earth · One Family · One Future” - is drawn from the ancient Sanskrit text of the Maha Upanishad. Essentially, the theme affirms the value of all life – human, animal, plant, and microorganisms – and their interconnectedness on the planet Earth and in the wider universe.

After the conclusion of the 'One Earth' session, and followed by lunch, another session of 'One Family' would be conducted at 3.00 p.m. as a part of the Summit.

At around 7:00 pm hours, the leaders will join the dinner hosted by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu.

 Besides the foreign delegates parliamentarians and ministers in the current Cabinet, the G20 Summit dinner will be attended by some of the former senior leaders of the nation.

US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are among the key leaders who are going to attend the event in the country's capital city.

Venue of G-20 -Bharat Mandapam

Notably, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be taking part in the weekend summit. China, however, will be represented at the summit by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will represent Russia.

India aims to achieve the twin objectives of adding the African Union as a member of G20 and resolving disagreements about a joint statement related to the war in Ukraine at the Summit.

During the presidency, India has focused on various issues like inclusive growth, digital innovation, climate resilience, and equitable global health access. By leveraging its presidency, India is fostering collaborative solutions that benefit its population and contribute to the broader global well-being.

The countries taking part in the G20 Summit include Nigeria, Argentina, Italy, the AU (represented by Comros), and South Africa. Bangladesh, the United Kingdom, Japan Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Korea, Egypt, Australia, the United States, Canada, China, the U.A.E, Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey Spain, Germany, France, Mauritius, the European Union, Singapore.

Inside Bharat Mandapam, venue of the G-20 Summit

The leaders who reached the national capital include US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Argentina President Alberto Fernandez, and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The leaders were welcomed by traditional dance performances.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa also reached India. He had hosted the BRICS summit last month.

Other leaders who arrived in the national capital include Chinese Premiere Li Qiang, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Oman Deputy Prime Minister Asaad bin Tariq bin Taimur, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Egypt President El-Sisi, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

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African Union Chairperson Azali Assoumani, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Argentina President Alberto Angel Fernandez, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Secretary-General, Mathias Cormann, World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also reached Delhi.