From green-diamonds to Robert Frost poems: Gifts that Modi, Biden exchanged

PM Narendra Modi received a warm welcome from US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden at the White House in Washington. During this meeting, they exchanged greetings and gifts as they posed for photographs.

PM Modi's Gifts to Joe and Jill Biden

PM Modi, who is on his first state visit to the US, gifted a handcrafted box made from sandalwood, to the US President Joe Biden and a lab-grown green diamond to the First Lady Jill Biden.

The special wooden box was specially handcrafted by a master craftsman from Jaipur. The sandalwood for the box was sourced from Mysore, Karnataka, and contained beautifully carved impressions of flora and fauna, ANI reported.

Apart from this, PM Modi also gifted the first edition of 'The Ten Principal Upanishads' published by Faber and Faber Ltd of London to US President Joe Biden.

The green diamond gifted to the US First Lady Jill Biden reflects earth-mined diamonds' chemical and optical properties. The diamond is eco-friendly, as eco-diversified resources like Solar and wind power were used in its making.

He also gifted a 'papier-mache' to Jill Biden. 'Papier-mache' is the box in which the green diamond is placed. Known as 'kar-e-kalamdani', Kashmir's exquisite papier mache involves sakthsazior meticulous preparation of paper pulp and naqqashi, where skilled artisans paint elaborate designs.

Joe Biden on Wednesday hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a private dinner at the White House. The dinner included a few of the US President's favourite foods, including pasta and ice cream.

Joe Biden, Jill Biden, and PM Modi 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.

Gifts that PM Modi received

According to a statement from the White House, the President, and the First Lady gifted an antique American book gallery from the early 20th century to the Prime Minister.

Along with this, President Biden also gifted an archival facsimile print of George Eastman's Patent of the first Kodak camera and a hardcover book on American wildlife photography.

Jill Biden also gifted a signed first edition copy of 'Collected Poems of Robert Frost' to PM Modi.

(With agency inputs)