PM Modi's gift to Biden highlights India's traditional respect for experience: Officials

It is the box in which the Green Diamond is placed. Known as kar-e-kalamdani, Kashmir’s exquisite Papier mâché involves sakthsazi or meticulous preparation of paper pulp and naqqashi, where skilled artisans paint elaborate designs. A confluence of timeless tradition and craftsmanship, it excludes opulence and intricate motifs and graceful simplicity, which makes every piece of this timeless craft a masterpiece.

Ancient Indian text Krishna Yajurveda’s Vaikhanas Grihya Sutram mentions that an individual becomes ‘Drishta Sahasrachandro’ or the one who has seen one thousand full moons when he completes the age of 80 and 8 months. The life spanning one thousand full moons or ‘Sahasra Poorna Chandrodayam’ is considered to be an important milestone in the Hindu way of life. On this occasion, a special gift which symbolises following rituals has been presented as a special gesture by the Prime Minister to President Biden.

A special sandalwood box has been handcrafted by a master craftsman from Jaipur, Rajasthan. The sandalwood sourced from Mysore, Karnataka has intricately carved flora and fauna patterns. Sandalwood carving in Rajasthan is an ancient art that has been handed down from generation to generation. The artisan has skillfully embedded a piece of his story and a touch of passion into this work to produce a piece of finest craftsmanship.

The box contains the idol of Ganesha, Hindu deity considered as the destroyer of obstacles. This silver idol of Ganesha has been handcrafted by a family of fifth generation silversmiths of Kolkata. A diya (oil lamp) occupies a sacred space in every Hindu household where daily prayers are offered by lighting cotton wick dipped in oil. This silver diya has also been handcrafted by the same artisans. The copper plate, also called tampra-patra has been sourced from Uttar Pradesh.

The handcrafted delicate silver boxes contain symbolic - Das Danam or the ten donations, which signifies the donations made on this occasion. Take a look at them.

-A delicately handcrafted silver coconut by the skilled artisans of West Bengal
-A fragrant piece of sandalwood sourced from Mysore, Karnataka
-Til or white sesame seeds sourced from Tamil Nadu, offered for Tildaan
-Handcrafted in Rajasthan, this 24K pure and hallmarked gold coin is offered as Hiranyadaan
-Ghee or clarified butter sourced from Punjab is offered for Ajyadaan
-A handwoven textured tussar silk cloth sourced from Jharkhand is offered for Vastradaan
-Long grained rice sourced from Uttarakhand are offered for Dhaanyadaan
-Gud or Jaggery sourced from Maharashtra is offered for Guddaan
-The 99.5% pure and hallmarked silver coin has been aesthetically crafted by Rajasthan artisans and is offered as Raupyadaan
-Lavan or salt from Gujarat is offered for Lavandaan (donation of salt).

Lab-grown diamonds are often considered to be more eco-friendly because it uses resources like solar and wind power to be made. This specific green diamond was sculpted with precision and care using cutting-edge technology. It emits only 0.028 grams of carbon per carat and is certified by the Gemological Lab, IGI (International Gemological Institute). The diamond also reflects earth-mined diamonds’ chemical and optical properties.

Lab-grown diamonds are produced through two technologies - High-Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) and Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD). India is one of the leading producers of these diamonds using CVD technology. As per industry estimates, India's share in its global trade in the financial year 2021-22 was 25.8 per cent. However, India has to depend on other countries for the supply of critical machinery components and seeds -- which are the raw materials for producing synthetic diamonds.

Besides the jewellery industry, lab-grown diamonds are used in computer chips, satellites, and 5G networks as they can be used in extreme environments due to their potential to operate at higher speeds while using less power than silicon-based chips. LGD has a vast application in the field of defence, optics, jewellery, thermal and medical industries.

Kashmir's Papier mâché involves meticulous preparation of paper pulp and naqqashi, where skilled artisans paint elaborate designs. It has a GI (Geographical Indication) tag. A GI is primarily a sign of the authenticity of an agricultural, natural or manufactured product (handicrafts and industrial goods) originating from a definite geographical territory. Typically, such a name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness, which is essentially attributable to the place of its origin.

India is promoting manufacturing of lab-grown diamonds (LGD) in the country and for that the government announced steps in the last Union Budget. The government had announced elimination of customs duty on LGD seeds from 5 per cent earlier. It also approved a five-year research grant to the Indian Institutes of Technology, Madras to encourage the indigenous production of LGD machinery, seeds and recipe.