PM Modi Meet Joe Biden: PM Modi reached Washington on Wednesday
US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House today. They were joined by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his US counterpart Jake Sullivan at the private dinner.
As the official gifts, the Prime Minister gave a handcrafted sandalwood box to President Joe Biden, and a 7.5 carat eco-friendly green diamond to the First Lady.
The sandalwood box gifted to President Biden, who turns 81 in November, contains a silver idol of Lord Ganesha, a diya (oil lamp) and 'Das Danam' .
"Das Danam" signifies donations made when a person becomes 'Drishta Sahasrachandro' or the one who has seen one thousand full moons after completing the age of 80 years and eight months.
The Prime Minister also gifted Joe Biden a copy of the first edition print of the book 'The Ten Principal Upanishads'.
The diamond, gifted to Jill Biden, was placed in a box made of paper pulp, known as kar-e-kalamdani.
PM Modi received a handmade, antique American book galley from the Bidens.
The first couple also gifted him a vintage American camera, a hardcover book of American wildlife photography and a signed, first edition copy of 'Collected Poems of Robert Frost.
PM Modi reached Washington today after leading a grand record-setting yoga session at the UN headquarters in New York. He received in a rousing welcome in New York on Tuesday and held meetings with several CEOs, intellectuals and academics.
PM Modi is the third Indian to be invited for a state visit, seen as the highest form of expression of friendly ties and is reserved only for closest allies. A state visit involves an invitation by the Head of a State to his official residence.
President Biden and the first lady will host a separate State Dinner at White House for the Prime Minister tomorrow, which is expected to be attended by about 400 guests.
The visit indicates the deepening ties between the two nations in multiple fields.