Hello from Batay, the Kyrgyz Snow Leopard

Notice the kawaii toy Narendra Modi was holding while he shook hands with Adylbek Kasymaliev, chairman of cabinet of ministers of Kyrgyzstan, on the tarmac in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek on Sunday when he arrived for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit? No, it's not a Chinese Labubu slipped in to relay a crafty geopolitical message. It was Batay, the snow leopard and official mascot of the World Nomad Games taking place now at Bishkek and the shimmering shores of Issyk-Kul.

Batay is less souvenir than diplomatic prop: a compact emblem of mountain lore, endangered charisma, and state hospitality wrapped in top-end silicone. India's 73-strong delegation at the Games - belt and Naga wrestlers among them - is already there to test technique and temperament against riders, archers and horse-wrangling traditions that are both archaic and urgently modern. Belt wrestling's grunt and Naga wrestling's ritualised shove are reminders that sport - like geopolitics - need not be sanitised to be serious. Batay's large eyes, soft smile and purple ears tell you how cultural diplomacy can now come in cuddly form beyond the hug. Neither SCO summit nor Nomad Games is 'mere' PR. They tell you the value of mobility, of skills honed on the move, and of communities that prize adaptability over permanence. Qualities also valued in politicians.