‘Can’t wait to go back again,’ says Bill Gates about his India visit; shares pictures

Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates on Wednesday posted a bunch of pictures from his recent visit to India on Instagram and expressed his desire to return soon. He wrote, "I can’t wait to go back again".

Gates wrote in the caption: “I just returned from my visit to India, and I can’t wait to go back again. I love visiting India because every trip is an incredible opportunity to learn. During my travels last week in Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore, I met some amazing people who taught me how they are using the power of innovation, science, and collaboration to find solutions to the world’s health, climate, and development challenges.”

On March 3, Bill Gates met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed education, healthcare, and climate change. “My conversation with the Prime Minister left me more optimistic than ever about the progress that India is making in health, development, and climate,” Gates said in a blog post.

Along the way, I met a teen bridge champion, had fun conversations with two of India’s most popular YouTubers, and I even drove an electric rickshaw, he wrote.

Bill Gates also lauded the advancement and progress that India has made over the recent years, including on health and climate. “India is showing what is possible when investment is made in innovation," Gates said.

"My trip to India started in Mumbai, where I visited an urban health center that offers primary health services and serves as a first point of contact for tuberculosis (TB) patients. India has the world’s highest TB burden. That’s why facilities like this and the health workers who run them are so critical for saving lives," he wrote.

"My first morning in Delhi I traveled to the Indian Agricultural Research Institute to learn about the advanced technologies being used to develop crops that are resistant to drought, flooding, and other extreme weather," he further wrote.

"During a meeting with Smriti Irani, Minister of Women and Child Development for India, we prepared and fed millet khichdi to pregnant mothers. I then participated in the Annaparashan ritual, a Hindu rite of passage that marks an infant's first intake of food other than milk," wrote Gates.

The co-founder of Microsoft also interacted with several well-known Indian personalities during his visit, including cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, Wipro Chairman Rishad Premji, Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra, YouTuber Prajakta Koli, and Union Ministers Hardeep Singh Puri, Smriti Irani, and Ashwini Vaishnaw. In addition, he has also interacted with the founders of Zerodha, Nithin and Nikhil Kamath.