31 Dec 2019 | 05:14am IST
Irish PM from 'Varad' to spend NY Eve in Goa
Ireland’s Prime Minister Leo Varadkar is in India on a private visit to the village of his grandfather and father and met with a large number of his relatives
Team Café
The Irish PM Leo Varadkar, who has his
roots in India, will ring in the New Year
in Goa. Varadkar, who is currently on a private visit to India, arrived in Goa
on Monday afternoon. There will be no official meetings and he expected to
return to Ireland on January 1, 2020.
On Sunday, Varadkar along with his family
members visited his ancestral village Varad in the coastal Sindhudurg district
of Maharashtra. It was his first visit to the village, said Varadkar, who
became Prime Minister of Ireland in June 2017. His father, Ashok Varadkar, a
doctor, moved to the United Kingdom in the 1960s. The visit was a “special
moment” as three generations of his family gathered at Varad, the Ireland Prime
Minister said after the villagers felicitated him. He also visited a temple of
the village deity. During an interaction with villagers, he said, “This is my
fifth visit to India but first to Varad village, where my grandfather and
father have been brought up. It is a privilege and honour for me to visit this
place.”The Ireland PM also said he knows a few words of Marathi, his father’s
language, but not enough for interaction.
Varadkar, who is currently on a private
visit to India, is staying at a plush resort in North Goa district, a senior
police official revealed. Security around the resort has been beefed up.
He
also visited a temple of the village deity.