International Desk, 22 June: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Biden exchanged special gifts at a private dinner hosted by US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden on Wednesday at the White House.
PM Modi thanked them both for having him over to the White House and said they had “great conversation” about a number of topics.
In a tweet, 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 Vice President Biden had hosted PM Modi for a private dinner at the White House the day before the public state dinner. The supper included the President’s favourite delicacies of spaghetti and ice cream. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, his American counterpart Jake Sullivan, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra and Deputy Chief of Protocol Aseem Vohra also attended.
The supper included the President’s favourite delicacies of spaghetti and ice cream. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, his American counterpart Jake Sullivan, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra and Deputy Chief of Protocol Aseem Vohra also attended.
The trio was treated to a musical tribute to the various parts of India over dinner by young dancers from facility Dhoom, an Indian dance facility in the District of Columbia that, according to the White House introduces a younger generation to the rich tradition of Indian dance.
At the White House, the two leaders also exchanged gifts. US President Biden received a beautiful sandalwood box from PM Modi that was created by an expert artisan from Jaipur, Rajasthan. He also sent US First Lady Jill Biden “papier mache” and a 7.5-carat lab-grown green diamond.
On the other hand, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden gave PM Modi a handcrafted, early 20th-century antique American book galley. A vintage American camera, a hardback book of American wildlife photography and an archival facsimile print of George Eastman’s patent for the original Kodak camera were additional gifts from Biden. PM Modi received a first-edition, autographed copy of “Collected Poems of Robert Frost” from Jill Biden.
Indian Prime Minister will attend the state dinner that US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host on Thursday. On the same day, he will also speak to a joint session of the US Congress.
Later on June 23, US Vice President Kamala Harris and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will host PM Modi at a luncheon together. During the occasion, he will also get to know the CEOs of 20 leading American corporations.