Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a handcrafted sandalwood box containing a lamp and a silver Lord Ganesha idol as a gift to US President Joe Biden on his state visit to the US.
The Indian Prime Minister also gave a 7.5-carat eco-friendly green diamond to first lady Jill Biden.
Mr Modi, who is on a four-day state visit, was hosted by the Bidens at the White House for a private dinner on Wednesday.
The box was crafted in India’s western state of Rajasthan, an ancient art passed down through generations. The scented wood was sourced from Mysore in the southern state of Karnataka.
The box, intricately carved with flora and fauna patterns, contained a silver idol of the Hindu deity Ganesha, an oil lamp and “Das Danam”, or 10 donations, a traditional gift for someone who has seen "1,000 full moons" when he reaches the age of 80 years and eight months.
The Das Danam included a delicately handcrafted silver coconut denoting a cow, white sesame seeds, 24-carat hallmarked gold coins, clarified butter and a handwoven textured silk cloth.
Traditionally the donations include a cow, land, gold or silver, food grains and clothes.
The gifts were chosen for Mr Biden, who turns 81 in November.
To Mrs Biden, Mr Modi gave an eco-friendly, lab-grown 7.5-carat diamond in a papier mache box – a 14th century craft from Kashmir prepared with paper pulp before being painted.
In return, the Bidens gave Mr Modi a vintage American camera, a hardcover book of American wildlife photography and a signed, first edition copy of The Collected Poems by Robert Frost.
Mr Modi landed in New York on Tuesday.
It is his first state visit at the invitation of Mr Biden. He has visited six times since becoming India's Prime Minister in 2014.
if you go
The flights
Fly direct to Kutaisi with Flydubai from Dh925 return, including taxes. The flight takes 3.5 hours. From there, Svaneti is a four-hour drive. The driving time from Tbilisi is eight hours.
The trip
The cost of the Svaneti trip is US$2,000 (Dh7,345) for 10 days, including food, guiding, accommodation and transfers from and to Tbilisi or Kutaisi. This summer the TCT is also offering a 5-day hike in Armenia for $1,200 (Dh4,407) per person. For further information, visit www.transcaucasiantrail.org/en/hike/
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Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
Pupils in Abu Dhabi are learning the importance of being active, eating well and leading a healthy lifestyle now and throughout adulthood, thanks to a newly launched programme 'Healthy Lifestyle'.
As part of the Healthy Lifestyle programme, specially trained coaches from City Football Schools, along with Healthpoint physicians have visited schools throughout Abu Dhabi to give fun and interactive lessons on working out regularly, making the right food choices, getting enough sleep and staying hydrated, just like their favourite footballers.
Organised by Manchester City FC and Healthpoint, Manchester City FC’s regional healthcare partner and part of Mubadala’s healthcare network, the ‘Healthy Lifestyle’ programme will visit 15 schools, meeting around 1,000 youngsters over the next five months.
Designed to give pupils all the information they need to improve their diet and fitness habits at home, at school and as they grow up, coaches from City Football Schools will work alongside teachers to lead the youngsters through a series of fun, creative and educational classes as well as activities, including playing football and other games.
Dr Mai Ahmed Al Jaber, head of public health at Healthpoint, said: “The programme has different aspects - diet, exercise, sleep and mental well-being. By having a focus on each of those and delivering information in a way that children can absorb easily it can help to address childhood obesity."
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