DNA Specials: From rare green diamonds to gourmet White House dinner, PM Modi’s US visit decoded

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States is being deemed a success for India-US ties, especially after the rousing speech made by him at the White House, standing alongside US President Joe Biden and US First Lady Jill Biden.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday gifted US President Joe Biden a special vision called 'Sahastrachandro' as per Hindu beliefs. He was also presented with a book of the first edition of 10 Principal Upanishads. And both these gifts reflect Indian culture and our great heritage.

These gifts not only show India's rich heritage but also a bright future. PM Modi’s gift to US First Lady Jill Biden took the cake as it was a one-of-a-kind, rare green diamond that was made in a lab, showcasing India’s technological advancements and bright future.

We have explained to you in very simple words what the importance of gift diplomacy between two countries is. But dinner diplomacy between India and the US is yet to come.

US President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden held a state dinner for Prime Minister Narendra Modi today. Select people attended this state dinner to be held at the White House. By the way, many world leaders have shared lunch or dinner tables with the US President, but a state dinner for PM Modi is completely different.

PM Modi is on a state visit to the US at the invitation of Biden. This is a kind of red-carpet invitation, where the guest receives a grand welcome. An important part of this state visit is the state dinner. In this, the host i.e. the US President joins his guest in a meal in his house i.e. White House.

The Indian Prime Minister is getting a grand welcome in America. America does not want to leave any stone unturned in PM Modi’s hospitality. A set procedure is also followed to decide the menu for the state dinner.

- Everything is taken care of while deciding the menu.
- Find out what the guest likes.
- The guest is vegetarian or non-vegetarian.
- The guest is not allergic to any particular spice or smell.
- Even the eating time of the guest coming to the state dinner is taken into consideration, after which the time of dinner is decided.

The state dinner being given to PM Narendra Modi is in the hands of the First Lady i.e. Jill Biden herself. Jill Biden herself prepared the menu of the state dinner. This menu had several delicacies including marinated millet, grilled corn kernel salad, stuffed portobello mushrooms, creamy safron-infused risotto, dill yogurt sauce, compressed watermelon, tangy avocado sauce, crisped millet cake, rose and cardemum-infused strawberry shortcake and summer squash.

The State Dinner in the United States began in the year 1874, when the then US President Ulysses Grant and his wife Julia Grant invited King Kalaku of the Island of Hawaii to a state dinner. Since then, a state dinner has been a tradition in the US for special foreign guests.

Dinner is like breaking the food with a friend and cementing a friendship. After the state dinner at the White House, PM Modi, and President Biden's friendship will get a new dimension. India and the US also hope that this dinner diplomacy will further strengthen the relationship between the two countries.