As leaders of the G20 countries arrived in India on Friday for the organisation’s summit on Saturday, the song-and-dance welcome items at Delhi airport attracted surprise and exasperation.
Coming in for special attention on Twitter was the decision to have a troupe dance to a remixed version of British musician Ed Sheeran’s 2017 hit Shape of You overlaid with Indian elements as US President Joe Biden alighted from his plane.
Among other things, many questioned the appropriateness of the rather risque lyrics for the occasion.
The same song greeted Argentine President Alberto Fernandes and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Biden arrives in India as nearby band welcomes him with Ed Sheeran song “Shape of You” pic.twitter.com/Zy77W2ZpG0
— Kevin Liptak (@Kevinliptakcnn) September 8, 2023
“Embarrassing at the least,” tweeted Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate.
We are welcoming foreign heads of state with ‘Shape of you’ by Ed Sheeran?!?!
— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) September 8, 2023
Lyrics that follow
‘Grab on my waist and put that body on me.…I’m in love with your body. Last night you were in my room. And now my bedsheets smell like you’
Embarrassing at the least
📷 @ANI pic.twitter.com/YYAB7bihlV
Here are some other reactions.
Ed Sheeran's Shape of You is part of our culture now? 🤷🏻♀️
— Narayani Basu (@narayani_basu) September 8, 2023
If you sprinkle some "sa ni dha pa" over it like salt, it doesn't make it cultural either. 🤷🏻♀️ https://t.co/wffLBHpdW8
India has thousands of years of musical tradition, across such a wide breadth of languages, regions, and culture… and so the obvious G20 welcome song was Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” https://t.co/5bpb0ZOcFE
— Karan Madhok (@KaranMadhok1) September 9, 2023
— Siddharth (@DearthOfSid) September 9, 2023
Till last week we were debating Bharat and British Invasion, then why these British Ed Sheeran songs??? Is this Bharat??? https://t.co/Ea6OX2TH9p
— DoctorSid (@SidhaantNangia) September 9, 2023
For all of the BJP's nationalist posturing, at heart they and Modi are incredibly insecure and pining for Western approval. So during the G20 actual Indians in Delhi get their settlements bulldozed, while foreigners are shown a garbage Carnatic remix dance of Ed Sheeran. https://t.co/QlSCg6kT1l
— HHH_Report (@HHH_Report) September 8, 2023
It is so disturbing to watch dancers dancing on a stage near the tarmac to welcome international leaders. From all that I have seen, they all seem to be young girls. This is so degrading!
— T M Krishna (@tmkrishna) September 9, 2023
Which culture? Why are these people dressed in traditional clothing but in that disgusting colour dancing to some remix of what sounds like Ed Sheeran?
— Sawai (@HHMaharajaSawai) September 9, 2023
Also, what's with this new trend of having an Annual Function Day tier dance show everytime some head of state visits? https://t.co/Wu3H4Y3L07
Other welcome items also drew some adverse reactions.
Surprised to this horrendous presentation of our beloved Bihu dance welcoming Hon’ble PM of England @RishiSunak during G20. @IndiaG2O #G20Bharat #Bihu @himantabiswa @BimalBorah119 pic.twitter.com/xTMYKYU6z0
— Shyamkanu Mahanta (@skmahanta2013) September 8, 2023
What the hell is wrong with our diplomats? Is there no input and background done on guest’s culture sensitivity?
— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) September 8, 2023
The Oman head of state looked awkward and left abruptly.
pic.twitter.com/Pdrvd8CGVf
But at least one delegate seemed to enjoy the beats.
Difficult to resist #Sambalpuri beats .
— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) September 8, 2023
MD International Monetary Fund Ms. @KGeorgieva arrives in India for #G20 summit to a #Sambalpuri song and dance welcome . #OdiaPride pic.twitter.com/4tx0nmhUfK