Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to make history as the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Slovakia since the country's independence in 1993, and in Bratislava, an Indian-origin restaurant is already deep in preparations to serve the visiting delegation. The upcoming state visit, scheduled for Sunday at the invitation of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, has stirred a wave of pride among the Indian diaspora in the Central European nation.

Kitchen in High Gear

At an Indian-origin restaurant owned by Rajesh in Bratislava, head chef Rajendra Singh Negi is leading the culinary team in finalising menus and logistics for the delegation's dinner. Negi, who has been based in Slovakia for a decade, described the moment as personally significant.

'I have been here for 10 years. I am the head chef, and this is my team… Prime Minister of our country is coming here. His team has already come here. We are preparing their dinner…' Negi said.

A fellow chef at the restaurant, who arrived in Slovakia in 2023, echoed the sentiment: 'We waited a long time for the Prime Minister of our country to visit here. We are feeling very good and very happy. We feel very proud.'

A Historic First for India-Slovakia Ties

The visit marks the first time an Indian Prime Minister has travelled to Slovakia since the nation declared independence over three decades ago — a milestone that the Indian diaspora community in Bratislava is calling a defining moment in bilateral relations. Community members and restaurant staff have been actively preparing to host and serve the visiting Indian delegation.

Agenda: Trade, Industry and Bilateral Cooperation

During the state visit, PM Modi is scheduled to hold delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Robert Fico and separately meet President Peter Pellegrini. The discussions are expected to cover new avenues of cooperation in trade, investment, automobile manufacturing, and railway infrastructure.

Notably, Slovakia is home to a significant automotive manufacturing base, and India's growing EV and components sector makes this an area of potential strategic alignment. The visit is widely viewed as an important step in deepening political, economic, and industrial engagement between the two nations.

Diaspora Pride on Display

The Indian community in Slovakia has greeted the announcement with visible enthusiasm, calling it a long-awaited recognition of the diaspora's presence and contribution to the country. Restaurant staff — many of whom have lived and worked in Slovakia for years — say the visit lends their adopted home a new significance in the India-Europe relationship.

As PM Modi prepares to touch down in Bratislava, the kitchen at the Indian-origin restaurant stands ready — a small but telling symbol of how far India's soft power and diaspora networks extend across Europe.