Junior monarch Xhaiden Darius meets PM Modi

REIGNING National Junior Calypso Monarch Xhaiden Darius was handpicked to witness one of the most significant events of 2025 – the arrival of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He stood alongside brothers Kaveem and Keiron Newton and greeted and presented flowers to Modi as he arrived at Piarco International Airport on July 3.

The nine-year-old told Newsday he was "completely blown away" by the experience as Modi briefly greeted him with a simple “Namaste.”

His mother, 2023 calypso queen Tameika Darius, told Newsday she too was ecstatic when she got the call from the Foreign and Caricom Affairs Ministry that her son was selected to be part of the official welcome for the Indian PM.

Although she said the ministry's officials did not state the reason for her son's selection, Darius said she believes it was because of his outstanding accomplishments in calypso.