Biden welcomed Modi for an intimate dinner at the White House, a day before the high-profile state dinner…reports Asian Lite News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday thanked US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden for hosting him at the White House. PM Modi noted that they held “great conversation” on several subjects.
Taking to his official Twitter handle, PM Modi stated, “I thank @POTUS @JoeBiden and @FLOTUS @DrBiden for hosting me at the White House today. We had a great conversation on several subjects.”
US President Biden on Wednesday welcomed Modi for an intimate dinner at the White House, a day before the high-profile state dinner. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his US counterpart Jake Sullivan, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra and Deputy Chief of Protocol Aseem Vohra also attended the dinner, which featured the President’s favourite foods – pasta and ice cream.
During the dinner, the trio enjoyed a musical tribute to the regions of India, performed by youth dancers from Studio Dhoom, a DMV-based Indian dance studio that helps connect a new generation to the vibrant culture of Indian dance, according to the White House.
The leaders also exchanged gifts at the White House. PM Modi presented a special sandalwood box to US President Biden that has been handcrafted by a master craftsman from Jaipur, Rajasthan. He also gifted a lab-grown 7.5-carat green diamond and ‘papier mache’ to US First Lady Jill Biden.
Joe Biden and Jill Biden presented PM Modi with a handmade, antique American book galley from the early 20th Century. Biden also gifted a vintage American camera, accompanied by an archival facsimile print of George Eastman’s Patent of the first Kodak camera, and a hardcover book of American wildlife photography. Jill Biden gifted a signed, first-edition copy of “Collected Poems of Robert Frost” to PM Modi.
Joe Biden and Jill Biden received PM Modi at the White House in Washington DC on his arrival for the second leg of his official state visit. PM Modi’s motorcade pulled up in the South Portico around 7:36 pm (local time). The camaraderie between leaders was visible as they were seen laughing and engaged in conversation.
Prior to the dinner at the White House, PM Modi met Gary E Dickerson, the President and CEO of Applied Materials, Sanjay Mehrotra, President-CEO of Micron Technology and H Lawrence Culp Jr, Chairman and CEO, of General Electic and CEO of General Electic Aerospace.
Upon his arrival in Washington DC, PM Modi started his day by attending the ‘Skilling for Future’ event. During his visit to the US, PM Modi will attend the state dinner on Thursday which US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are hosting. He will also address a Joint Sitting of the US Congress on the same day.
On June 23, the Prime Minister will be jointly hosted at a luncheon by US Vice President Kamala Harris and the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Later on, he will meet business leaders of 20 top American companies and is also expected to address a gathering of more than 1,500 diaspora and business leaders.
Rare gifts
Modi gifted a handcrafted sandalwood box with ‘das danam’ to US President Joe Biden and a lab-grown green diamond to First Lady Jill Biden.
The gifts were exchanged during the private dinner hosted by Joe Biden and Jill Biden for PM Modi at the White House. The special sandalwood box presented to US President Joe Biden has been handcrafted by a master craftsman from Jaipur, Rajasthan. The sandalwood sourced from Mysore, Karnataka has intricately carved flora and fauna patterns, officials said.
The box contains a silver idol of Lord Ganesha, the Hindu deity considered as the destroyer of obstacles and the one who is worshipped first among all gods. The idol has been handcrafted by a family of fifth-generation silversmiths from Kolkata.
The box also contains a diya (oil lamp) that occupies a sacred space in every Hindu household. This silver diya has also been handcrafted by artisans from the family of fifth-generation silversmiths in Kolkata. The copper plate also called tamper-Patra has been sourced from Uttar Pradesh and a shloka has been inscribed on it.
The handcrafted delicate silver boxes contain symbolic – ‘Das Danam’ or the ten donations which denote the donations made on the occasion when a person becomes ‘Drishta Sahasrachandro’ or the one who has seen one thousand full moons when he completes the age of eighty years and eight months.
The handcrafted delicate silver boxes gifted by PM Modi to US President Joe Biden, who turns 81 this November, contain ten donations, which denote the donations made on the occasion.
The box includes a delicately handcrafted silver coconut by the skilled artisans of West Bengal is offered in place of a Cow for Gaudaan (donation of cow). A fragrant piece of sandalwood sourced from Mysore, Karnataka is offered in place of land for Bhudaan (donation of land).
The box also includes Til or white sesame seeds sourced from Tamil Nadu is offered for Tildaan (donation of sesame seeds). Handcrafted in Rajasthan, this 24K pure and hallmarked gold coin is offered as Hiranyadaan (donation of gold).
The box also contains ghee or clarified butter sourced from Punjab is offered for Ajyadaan (donation of clarified butter). A handwoven textured tussar silk cloth sourced from Jharkhand is offered for Vastradaan (donation of cloth). Long-grained rice sourced from Uttarakhand are offered for Dhaanyadaan (donation of food grains). (ANI)
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