Prime Minister Narendra Modi was accorded the highest civilian honour of Brazil by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Tuesday. President Lula conferred Brazil’s highest civilian honour, the ‘Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross’, on PM Narendra Modi. “I’m honoured to have been conferred ‘The Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross.’ Gratitude to President Lula, the Government and the people of Brazil. This illustrates the strong affection the people of Brazil have for the people of India. May our friendship scale even newer heights of success in the times to come,” said PM Modi.
I’m honoured to have been conferred ‘The Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross.’ Gratitude to President Lula, the Government and the people of Brazil. This illustrates the strong affection the people of Brazil have for the people of India. May our friendship… pic.twitter.com/MpKS9FgsES
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 8, 2025
Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a warm ceremonial welcome in Brasilia on Tuesday, becoming the first Indian PM in 57 years to undertake a State Visit to Brazil, strengthening the ties between the two nations. The visit marks not only expansion of India on the diplomatic front but also a reaffirmation of India as a pro-active builder of South-South solitude.
Inclusive growth, critical mineral resource security, climate resilience, and digital collaboration are the concerns of India with the Global South. The visit is a mark of change in India global role-play investing in proactive activities as opposed to a reactive role based on mutual respect and common interest. It is not service outreach tour but a symbol of a more serious strategic tilt in India foreign policy in which it has to match up to the interests of emerging economies.
With the new geopolitical fault lines coming into the picture, the Indian dream of a fair world order is not only talked of but also materializing in the form of long lasting and concrete partnerships. At a time when soft power, strategic autonomy and shared resilience characterise the global leadership in general, this tour does not only present India as one of the acting parties, but as a core actor in creating the future of the Global South.
As part of his official engagements during the visit, Prime Minister Modi and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva exchanged warm diplomatic courtesies at the Alvorada Palace, where they introduced delegates from their respective countries to one another. The meeting at Alvorada Palace came as part of PM Modi’s State Visit to Brazil, undertaken at the invitation of President Lula da Silva after the conclusion of the BRICS Summit held in Rio de Janeiro from July 6 to 7.
To mark the occasion, Prime Minister Modi was accorded a grand ceremonial welcome at the Alvorada Palace. President Lula da Silva received him with a warm embrace, setting the tone for a day of significant diplomatic engagements and symbolic gestures. The ceremonial reception featured formal introductions of delegates by both leaders, underscoring the spirit of cooperation and mutual respect between the two nations.
Adding to the grandeur of the ceremony, PM Modi was honoured with a 114-horse guard of honour. The national anthems of India and Brazil were played, and an Indian classical musical performance was also held as part of the welcome. Earlier, upon his arrival at the Brasilia airport, PM Modi was greeted by the Batala Mundo band with traditional Afro-Brazilian compositions, creating an upbeat cultural atmosphere at the outset of his visit.
Sharing the moment on social media platform X, he wrote, “At Brasilia airport, the Batala Mundo band played some wonderful compositions. Theirs is a global effort to promote Afro-Brazilian percussion, in particular the Samba-Reggae from Salvador da Bahia, Brazil.”
Members of the Indian diaspora, waving flags and cheering, were also present at the airport to greet the Prime Minister. Acknowledging their presence, PM Modi posted, “Landed in Brasilia a short while ago. The Indian community accorded a memorable welcome, once again highlighting how passionate our diaspora is and how connected they remain with their roots.”
The cultural spirit continued at the hotel, where PM Modi was welcomed again by members of the Indian community and local performers. He witnessed a cultural performance and a spiritual presentation, interacting with the artists and posing for a group photograph with them. During the State Visit, Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to hold bilateral discussions with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, aimed at strengthening the Strategic Partnership between India and Brazil. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the talks will cover a broad range of areas including trade, defence, energy, space, technology, agriculture, health, and people-to-people linkages.
India is also contributing to reposition the Global South not as a group of aid recipients, but as participants in the co-authorship of the global solutions. The tour symbolises that India is a bridge-builder-giving the Global South a larger say in the formulation of the international order. Following the conclusion of his engagements in Brazil, PM Modi will depart for Namibia on July 9, where he is expected to address the Namibian Parliament. The Brazil leg marks the fourth stop in his ongoing five-nation tour, which has already taken him to Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Argentina–reflecting India’s increasing diplomatic outreach across the Global South.
