PIX: Canadian PM in India; visits Taj, Humayun's tomb

"It's really a gift of beauty for all humanity," said Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper as he visited the Taj Mahal, walking hand in hand with his wife Laureen, marvelling at the 17th century Mughal monument of love.

"It really is something, you have to see it to believe it," Harper, who is on a six-day visit of India, said after spending nearly an hour at the monument. He went on to add, "It's really a gift of beauty for all humanity."

Harper and Laureen posed several questions to guides Shamshuddin and Lalit Chawla who accompanied the couple. The guides later said the dignitaries thoroughly enjoyed their trip.

The visitors were told that the marble for the monument was brought from Makrana in Rajasthan.

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"This has been a real treat for Laureen and me," he wrote in the Visitors' Book. It was wonderful to see such a monument of love for a queen, he said.

Later, in a lighter vein, he said, "My wife has tastes a little more modes and she also wants them while she's still young.

Harper will be holding talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Delhi on a range of issues covering cooperation in infrastructure, food security, oil and gas, educational services and other areas.

He will also visit to Bangalore.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was left mesmerised by Mughal architecture as he went around the magnificent 450-year-old red stone monument of Humayun's Tomb with his wife.

Taking a break from his diplomatic assignments, Harper and his wife Laureen spent nearly an hour at the 16th century monument in the heart of the capital and the couple was so impressed by the beauty of the structure that they flooded their guide with several questions.

Arriving at the monument in Hazrat Nizamuddin in south Delhi a little after 1 pm, the couple was received by A K Pandey, Deputy Superintending Archaeologist of ASI (Delhi circle) and he took them around the sprawling campus.

Harper is one of the few visiting dignitaries to have made it to Humayun's tomb after a visit by US President Barack Obama in 2010 made headlines worldwide.

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The couple could not wait to immerse themselves in the glory of the architectural marvel located over a 32 acre plot. Humayun's Tomb is one of three World Heritage Sites in Delhi.

At the outset, Pandey explained to the couple about the history of the monument while he took them around the plush green gardens that surround a central structure.

"Laureen and I thank you for the wonderful tour and for all the great you are doing to preserve this priceless heritage and to enhance this portion of the city," Harper wrote in the visitor's book.

They were also told the structure was a confluence of three architectural styles -- Persian, Central Asian and Indian.

"The couple were mesmerised by the monument's beauty. They kept asking questions about the history and how long it took to build such a wonderful structure," Pandey said.

India and Canada today explored ways to further improve people-to-people contacts and treble bilateral trade volume to USD 15 billion in the next three years.

Canada's Minister of State for Democratic Reforms Tim Uppal and Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi, during a meeting in New Delhi, emphasised the need for expanding bilateral trade considering the "huge potential".

"We discussed ways to further enhance trade relations. We felt that there is huge opportunity for expansion of trade between the two countries," Ravi told reporters. Uppal, a Sikh MP, is here as part of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's delegation.

Ravi said the meeting also discussed ways to improve people-to-people contacts and address issues raised by Persons of Indian Origin living in Canada. "There were also issues relating to PIO card. A lot of PIOs have issues on the card and we discussed ways of sorting them out," Ravi said.

Canada has around 8 lakh PIO card holders.

Both Canada and India have set a target of taking the annual bilateral trade volume to USD 15 billion by 2015 from USD 5 billion at present.

Canada primarily exports vegetables, fertilisers, machinery and wood pulp, while its main imports from India are organic chemicals, knit and woven apparel, precious stones and metals, electronics and machinery.

Both countries are holding negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement that would yield significant economic benefit and lower tariff on a large number of products for both the countries.

Uppal described the discussions as "fruitful" and said efforts are on to provide further impetus to the bilateral relations.

Ravi and Uppal also deliberated on the outcome of the mini Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) which was held in Canada in June 2011. The mini PBD was organised by ministry of overseas Indian affairs to further enhance engagement with the Indian diaspora.

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