Singing took 10 minutes; India work took dozens of hours, says Anwar

KOZHIKODE, India: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim may have stolen the spotlight with a song in New Delhi, but he was quick to remind reporters that the singing was only a fraction of his five-day working visit to India.

"Some people wrote, saying that Anwar went to India just to sing 'Dosto, Dosto Nara'." The singing took 10 minutes (but) the work here has spanned dozens of hours," he said, drawing laughter from reporters during a media session here today.

The remark referred to his impromptu performance of the popular song during the 18th BRICS Leaders' Summit in New Delhi, which quickly attracted attention on social media.

Anwar said the visit had instead been packed with substantive economic and diplomatic engagements, including meetings with Indian, Malaysian and Gulf business leaders.

His engagements included bilateral meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on the sidelines of the BRICS summit.

The discussions covered trade, investment, energy, food security, palm oil, connectivity, technology and opportunities for greater economic cooperation.

"Here in Kerala, I have held numerous meetings with major companies from Kerala and India. I was even quite moved by the fact that many others, from the Arab world and Dubai, flew in specifically to meet and hold discussions with us," he said.

About 30 companies from India, Malaysia and Gulf countries took part in an afternoon tea session with Anwar, the Governor of Kerala, the Minister of Industries and Commerce and prominent Indian business leaders in Calicut.

The companies represented sectors including medical and healthcare, semiconductors, construction, artificial intelligence, digital technology, information technology, engineering, retail, renewable energy and transportation.

Also present were Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan, Malaysian Chargé d'Affaires and Deputy High Commissioner Sharifah Ezneeda Wafa and Consul General of Malaysia to South India K. Saravana Kumar.

Anwar, who is also finance minister, said the session provided an opportunity to strengthen business-to-business links and identify investment opportunities in high-value sectors.

He said India's position as a major and rapidly expanding economy made deeper commercial ties important to Malaysia's efforts to diversify its trade and investment base while maintaining strong relationships with existing major economic partners.

Anwar also called for stronger cooperation between Malaysia and India in the electrical and electronics (E&E) and semiconductor industries, leveraging the strengths of both countries to move further up the value chain.

"Malaysia is a rapidly developing economy that is increasingly focusing on the E&E and semiconductor sectors in Southeast Asia; in terms of the energy economy, we are currently among the largest players, including in exports to the United States.

"Given India's strengths in E&E and semiconductors, imagine if that synergy were strengthened to enhance our capabilities and ensure mutual benefit. I believe this is crucial," he said.

Malaysia and India established diplomatic relations in 1957, shortly after Malaysia gained independence, with India remaining Malaysia's largest trading partner in South Asia.

Bilateral trade reached US$18.55 billion (RM79.33 billion) in 2025, underscoring the scale of the commercial relationship and the potential for further expansion in higher-value industries.

Anwar departed Kerala for the Maldives, marking the end of his five-day working visit to India.

The aircraft carrying the Prime Minister departed Calicut International Airport at 7.26pm local time (9.56pm Malaysian time) for Velana International Airport in Malé.