| Advertisement |
June 22 (UPI) -- U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a state dinner Thursday night of vegetarian fare, hundreds of high-profile guests, symbolism representing the strength of their two countries' union and pomp to spare. Hosted in a pavilion erected on the White House's grounds, the dinner had a decor of green from table clothes to decorative hangings.
Advertisement
The first lady had told reporters during a press conference a day prior that the pavilion would be draped in rich greens and every table would be adorned by saffron flowers, representing the colors of the Indian flag.
She said these colors will "frame the iconic scenery and the symbols of our nation, our democracy and our history: the White House and the Washington Monument."
Social Secretary Carlos Elizondo had said the peacock, India's official bird, inspired the design of the night, influencing the night from invitations to the pavilion itself.
We wanted to evoke that breathtaking feeling when it extends its tail, unveiling its colorful beauty, majesty and strength," he said.
Prior to the start of the event, the White House published a list of 400 guests who would partake in the dinner, including the president's son, Hunter Biden, who agreed days earlier to plead guilty to misdemeanor federal tax charges.
Notables included fashion icon Ralph Lauren, former U.S. tennis star Billie Jean King, director M. Night Shyamalan, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, among many others.
From the dinner, King posted images online of herself posing with Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
"So privileged to attend the @WhiteHouse State Dinner with India," she tweeted.
The guests were ferried to the pavilion by trolleys, with the Bidens and Modi arriving shortly before 8:30 p.m. They sat at the head table where they were joined by Martin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters King, Lauren and others, including Sen. Schumer, D-N.Y.
President Biden toasted to the U.S.-India partnership, while Modi gave an Indian traditional Namaskaar greeting before thanking the first lady for her efforts toward making the dinner a success.
The meal was prepared by chef Nina Curtis, whom the first lady had called "a plant-based pioneer." The menu, Elizondo had said, was to mirror the decor as it was infused with Indian flavors and colors.
"We have curated a menu that really showcases the best in American cuisine and also then seasoned with Indian elements and flavors," Curtis said during the Thursday press conference.
The first course of the vegetarian meal was a millet salad in honor of India's designation of 2023 as the year of the millet.
The main entree was a Portobello mushroom stuffed with summer squash, sun-dried tomatoes and leaks and seasoned with Indian spices and edible flowers.
The desert was a strawberry shortcake.
After the dinner, the guests were to be regaled with a performance by American violinist Joshua Bell and the U.S. Marine Band Chamber Orchestra.
The state dinner was the third of the Biden administration, and comes after the president hosted South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in late April and French President Emmanuel Macron in December.
