ABU DHABI // An artist's dream of presenting one of his portraits of Narendra Modi to the man himself in person has come true – thanks to The National.
Akbar Saheb had a personal meeting with the Indian prime minister on Monday at the Emirates Palace hotel.
As The National previously reported, Mr Saheb, 51, who works as an illustrator in Dubai, created 14 paintings of Mr Modi in the past year.
When he heard that the prime minister was coming to the UAE, Mr Saheb said he wanted to gift one of his portraits, titled “Mother Blessings”, to Mr Modi himself.
Early on Monday, he received a call from the Indian ambassador to the UAE, T P Seetharam, who told him the meeting was possible if he could get to Emirates Palace by 11.30am.
“It was totally unexpected with a such a short deadline, and considering the traffic between Dubai and Abu Dhabi I thought I wouldn’t be able to make it,” said Mr Saheb, who comes from Karnataka.
“But somehow everything worked out.”
At about 2.30pm, he finally got to meet Mr Modi.
“I saw him coming from the corridor towards the meeting room,” said Mr Saheb, who was accompanied by his wife Nazima, and his friend and manager Abbas Arsiwala.
“And the moment he saw me, he called my name and said in Hindi, ‘Mujhe sab pata hai aap ke baare main’ [I know everything about you].
“Then when he entered the room, we not only shook hands but he also hugged me warmly as if I was his long-lost friend.”
Mr Saheb presented his painting and the two chatted for about seven minutes.
“He was talking to me like a friend and inquiring about my work and life,” said Mr Saheb.
He said the prime minister was impressed by the painting and thanked him for his efforts.
“He just loved it and kept praising it, which was so heartening.”
Thanking The National for featuring his story which made the meeting possible, Mr Saheb said he would cherish the moment for the rest of his life.
“I still don’t believe that my hero hugged me and appreciated my work,” he said.
Mr Modi wrote on Twitter, “When I read about Akbar Saheb’s painting, ‘Mother Blessings’, dedicated to my mother, I was really keen to meet him. I got to do so today.
“I am thankful to Akbar Saheb for this very touching gesture. It was great meeting him.”
akhaishgi@thenational.ae
