Emmanuel Macron kicks off India visit with morning jog at Mumbai's Marine Drive

Hours after landing in Mumbai, French President Emmanuel Macron surprised morning walkers by jogging along Mumbai’s iconic Marine Drive.

Dressed in a navy blue athletic T-shirt, black shorts and running shoes, he almost blended into the morning crowd, while security personnel followed at a discreet distance.

In a refreshing start to his India visit and just before official meetings and tight schedules took over, the French President was seen jogging at a brisk pace. Videos of his exercise regimen went viral after onlookers captured it on their smartphones.

This was not the first instance where Macron was off to a “healthy start” on an official visit. In December last year, Macron, who was on a state visit to China, was filmed jogging in Chengdu, in Southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The French President and First Lady Brigitte Macron, who landed in Mumbai shortly after midnight on Tuesday, also paid floral tributes to those killed in the November 2008 terror attack at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in south Mumbai.

As Macron kicked off the day with a jog at the Marine Drive promenade, Mumbai Police maintained tight security in the vicinity.

President Macron is on an official visit to India from February 17 to 19 at the invitation of PM Modi to participate in the AI Impact Summit hosted by India, as well as hold a bilateral summit with him in Mumbai.

This is President Macron's fourth visit to India and his first visit to Mumbai.