Indian gift makes its way to State Department exhibition

WASHINGTON: An elephant figurine, made up of artificial pearls and semi-precious stones, which was talented by the past Indian Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani to US Secretary of State Colin Powell successful 2002, has made its mode to the State Department accumulation hall.

"Secretary Colin Powell received this acquisition from Indian Minister of Home Affairs Lal Krishna Advani," the State Department said successful its remarks written astatine the bottommost of the elephant figurine.

In fact, it is 1 of the little than 50 gifts among the hundreds of those received by the Secretary of State implicit the twelvemonth by overseas dignitaries that person been selected for show astatine the Exhibit Hall, successful the centre of Henry S Truman Building, office of the State Department, authoritative sources said.

Describing the gift, the State Department said, "with royal aplomb, the large antheral rides successful the howdah, oregon canopied seat, arsenic the mahout oregon usher successful beforehand leads the elephant".

"This colourful cloisonne figurine harks backmost to times erstwhile elephants were an indispensable portion of Indian beingness - for transportation, warring battles, protecting onshore and traversing forests," it said.

The elephant figurine was made by Neeru Goel, an Indian creator from Bengal, who specialises successful enamelware sculptures.

The Department officials, portion explaining the crushed for the enactment of this peculiar acquisition from India to beryllium displayed astatine the accumulation hall, said that elephants are a taste icon of the country, which implicit centuries person go a presumption awesome representing wealth, wisdom, and strength.