TOI correspondent from Washington: The single most expensive gift given to any member of the US first family in 2023 was a diamond presented by PM Modi to US First Lady Jill Biden during his state visit to the White House, valued at $20,000 (over Rs 17 lakh), according to an annual accounting of gifts received by US officials from foreign officials, published by the state department on Thursday.
Modi also gifted President Joe Biden a carved sandalwood box, a statue, an oil lamp and a book titled ‘The Ten Principal Upanishads’, all valued at $6,232, according to the state department.
In all, New Delhi gave US officials gifts estimated to worth around $35,000, chump change in the larger scheme of things, but enough for Biden adversaries to beat up the White House for accepting the gifts.
Exchange of gifts during official visits are the norm and invite little criticism or attention in normal times, with govt declaration of such presents passing largely unnoticed except for providing some insight into taste and forethought that goes into the choice of the gift.
In this case, the US registry identifies New Delhi’s gift to Jill Biden as a 7.5 carat lab diamond, which was “retained for official use in the East Wing”. Such diamonds are artificially created in a laboratory mimicking the process that creates natural diamonds and they are increasingly replacing the latter in the market. The First Lady’s office said the diamond will be turned over to the archives after the Bidens leave the White House.
Modi also gave the US Senate leaders, Republican Mitch McConnell and Democrat Charles Schumer, gifts worth $125 each, while NSA Ajit Doval and deputy NSA Rajinder Khanna also gave gifts to their US counterparts.
Although recipients of the gifts in the US can buy them at market value, they are typically transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the same way gifts to Indian officials and politicians are deposited in what is called ‘Toshakhana’ — a Persian word for treasury archives that is still extant in New Delhi.
The Indian system does not identify the gifting person or country although it is not hard to detect it. For instance, deposited in the Toshakhana in July 2024 was a Giuliano Mazzuoli Firenze Limited Edition wrist watch worth around $4000 gifted to India’s ambassador to the UAE Sunjay Sudhir.
PM Modi also forwarded numerous Russia-related gifts to the Toshakhana worth more than $10,000, including a gold, silver and enamel tea service set for 6, made at the Kubachi Art Factory in Dagestan, Russia.
Biden also received a number of valuable gifts, including a commemorative photo album valued at $7,100 from South Korea’s recently impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, a $3,495 statue of Mongolian warriors from the Mongolian prime minister, a $3,300 silver bowl from the Sultan of Brunei, a $3,160 sterling silver tray from the president of Israel and a collage worth $2,400 from the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky.
Pakistan’s PM Shahbaz Sharif also gifted Biden a carpet valued at $500.
According to the state department’s office of protocol, which compiled the list to be published in the Federal Register, US intelligence officials reported receiving gifts of watches, perfume and jewellery, nearly all of which were destroyed. They included a $11,000 Omega watch received by CIA director William Burns from an unidentified foreign source.
