G7 Summit venue Schloss Elmau has an Indian connection, here's how

Lord Ganesha, the God of auspicious beginnings and reasonable thinking has a huge impact on the venue for the G7 summits, where the leaders of the several countries gathered on Monday.

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This has been the venue for the summit both in 2015 as well as 2022. For those coming to the venue, there is a warm welcome by Ganesha who is revered across India for reasonable thinking and fair judgement.

The "India Connection" of Schloss Elmau is attributed to the owner Dietmar Muller, who had lived in India in his youth. He was involved in charitable activities and made an investment in the sector of information technology (IT). "There, the inspiration of individual freedom is very pronounced," Miller had once said in an interview.

Dietmar`s love for Indian ethos has been reflected even in the furniture of the hotel which has been inspired from Indian architecture.

Not just the welcome, the energy of Lord Ganesha links the castle to Indian thought and philosophy, through the motif of "the elephant" found running across the facility. Back home in India the Ganesha is referred to as the elephant God.

Ganesha has been the central theme of the facility including a restaurant being named after the God.

India is the land of the origin of holistic well-being and the practice of yoga. Many facilities including Ananda Spa Restaurant, Jivanmukti Yoga Studio and Shantigiri Spa exist here.

Host to several musical concerts throughout the year, Indian classical music aficionados from Germany and other European countries flock to Schloss Elmau for an authentic musical experience from master Indian artists.

The hotel was constructed between 1914 and 1916, by builder Johannes Muller, who had a big impact on it. The main structure of the hotel, the Hideaway, includes 115 rooms and suites.

The Group of Seven leaders on Monday held discussions on several issues including the impact of Russia`s war on food and energy supplies including the global economy.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz today welcomed the Prime Minister at Schloss Elmau, ahead of the G7 Summit. PM Modi is attending the summit on the invitation of Chancellor Scholz.

"Working together for `Progress towards an equitable world`. German Chancellor @Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz welcomes PM @narendramodi to the @G7 Summit at Schloss Elmau," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a tweet.

On the second day of the summit in Elmau, the main focus of the G7 heads of state and government will be continued support for Ukraine. On Sunday the Chancellor welcomed the heads of state and government of the G7 to the summit under the German presidency.

"We are united by our view of the world. We are also united by our belief in democracy and the rule of law," said Chancellor Scholz at the beginning of the summit.

In a first working session on Sunday, the heads of state and government of the G7 discussed global economic issues.

On Sunday, PM Modi arrived in Munich to attend the G7 summit where he will hold meetings with G7 and partner countries to hold discussions on issues ranging from environment, energy, to counter-terrorism.

On the sidelines of the Summit, PM Modi will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of some of the participating countries.

On Sunday, the Prime Minister interacted with the Indian community in Germany at the Audi Dome, Munich. Thousands of members of the vibrant Indian community in Germany participated in the event.

He highlighted India`s growth story and mentioned various initiatives undertaken by the government to further achieve the country`s development agenda. He also lauded the contribution of the diaspora in promoting India`s success story and acting as brand ambassadors for India`s success.

In his address to the Indian diaspora, PM Modi said, "Today`s India has come out of the mentality of `it happens, it runs like this`. Today India takes a pledge to have to do, have to do, and have to do on time," he said.