Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted a dinner for heads of state and global dignitaries on Wednesday evening — an exclusive, invite-only affair at Bharat Mandapam amidst the India-AI Impact Summit. Visuals shared online revealed a lavish Shishir Ritu-themed spread with GI-tagged dishes and cultural performances amid elegant table settings. Some of the attendees however found themselves in significantly less glamourous settings after running into unexpected hurdles.
“I got the invite to the gala with the Prime Minister, but got stuck in traffic getting back to the venue after I changed into gala attire (changed out of my jeans). Would have been honored to attend. But after 4h in traffic was equally honored to sit down to really excellent room service at 11 pm,” tech CEO Sara Hooker wrote on X.
The co-founder of AI start-up Adaption also shared photos of her eventual meal — prompting consternation on the social media platform and calls for her to try authentically ‘desi’ dishes.
“I apparently did have a table seating for the PMO India summit dinner! However, the magical email that allows me in wasn’t sent. Too bad I missed catching up with Raj Reddy. I did instead have a lovely dinner with my friend and his family, so all’s well!” added a separate update from US-based computer scientist and professor Subbarao Kambhampati.
PM Modi, world leaders attend gala dinner
Photos shared online showed the PM conversing closely with French President Emmanuel Macron, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and other guests. Modi also posted photos from the event on X: “With world leaders at the AI Impact Summit dinner and cultural programme.”
The theme of India AI Impact Summit 2026 is ‘Sarvajan Hitay, Sarvajan Sukhay’ (welfare for all, happiness of all). Seven working groups are anchoring the Summit, aligned to three pillars “ people, planet and progress” focusing on delivering concrete outcomes demonstrating AI’s impact across sectors.