Bengaluru: British Prime Minister Theresa May made heads turn on Tuesday, as she donned a stunning raw silk saree in turquoise and gold bought from an Indian boutique in London, and stepped bare-foot into the Someswara Koil during a charm offensive in the multi-faceted IT and start-up capital that traces its origins to the early 16th century when the British made it their own.
Accompanied into the temple by Hindu priests who presented her with fruit, a garland of flowers and a piece of silk to give as an offering to the Hindu deity Lord Shiva, she was accompanied for her key meetings with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, IT and Tourism minister Priyank Kharge, by a delegation of around three dozen business leaders from the 'home country.' May met with local start-up entrepreneurs and visited a factory run by Dynamatic Technologies, where Indian workers assemble components for Airbus in Swindon and Bristol, the two facilities it operates in Britain.
Saying there was a “world of opportunities” for post-Brexit Britain in India, May said Britain would not need to ease visa restrictions -- a key demand from Delhi, but a contentious domestic issue -- in order to reach a trade deal with India once the UK exits the European Union.
Fending off suggestions that visa concessions would be necessary to reach a deal, May said: "What I've heard here from businesses is that they see the UK as an attractive place to do business, " pointing out that one billion pounds worth of deals have been signed during her two-day visit.
Earlier in the day, she was met by hundreds of excited flag-wearing children at a local primary school and watched a flypast by the Indian Air Force.
