Journalism of Courage
Before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting Thursday with US President Joe Biden for official talks, the two leaders discussed a wide range of issues at a private dinner hosted by the US President and First Lady Jill Biden at the White House Wednesday night.
After dinner with the Bidens, Prime Minister Modi tweeted, “I thank @POTUS @JoeBiden and @FLOTUS @DrBiden for hosting me at the White House today. We had a great conversation on several subjects.”
Ministry of External Affairs’ official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted, “When friends meet! PM @narendramodi arrives at the @WhiteHouse for a private engagement with @POTUS @JoeBiden, @FLOTUS @DrBiden and family. An occasion for two leaders who share close bonds of friendship to cherish special moments together.”
An official statement by the MEA said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended a private engagement hosted by US President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr Jill Biden on 21 June 2023 in the White House… he also met their immediate family members. The PM’s participation in this special engagement reaffirms the warm friendship between our two countries.”
On Thursday, ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s meeting with President Biden for the second time in 12 hours, White House officials said that about 7,000 people drawn mostly from the Indian-American community gathered at the White House lawns to greet the Indian leader.
This is one of largest gatherings at the South Lawns of the White House — the last such large gathering was witnessed during Pope Francis’s visit to Obama White House in September 2015.
According to the White House, President Biden, the First Lady and Prime Minister Modi also enjoyed a musical tribute to the regions of India, performed by dancers from Studio Dhoom, a local Indian dance studio that helps connect a new generation to the vibrant culture of Indian dance.
The two leaders were joined by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval, it said.
The White House said that at the dinner, President Biden’s favourite foods, pasta and ice cream, were served among other delicacies.
Prime Minister Modi presented a special sandalwood box, handcrafted by a master craftsman from Jaipur, to the US President. The box contains the idol of Lord Ganesha and a diya (oil lamp), handcrafted by a family of fifth-generation silversmiths from Kolkata. Modi also gifted a 7.5-carat lab-grown diamond to First Lady Jill Biden, which reflects earth-mined diamonds’ chemical and optical properties, along with a papier mache box, known as kar-e-kalamdani — in which the Green diamond is placed.
In return, the Bidens presented a handmade, antique American book gallery from the early 20th century as the official gift to Prime Minister Modi. They also gifted a vintage American camera, accompanied by an archival facsimile print of George Eastman’s Patent of the first Kodak camera, a hardcover book on American wildlife photography, and a signed, first edition copy of ‘Collected Poems of Robert Frost’.
On Thursday, the Bidens will host a State Dinner at the South Lawn of the White House, which is expected to be attended by 400 guests.
