A lavish dinner was hosted by PM Narendra Modi for Ivanka Trump at Hyderabad's Falaknuma Palace
Opening a global business summit in Hyderabad, US President Donald Trump's daughter
Ivanka Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were joined by a robot named Mitra. Hours later,
they dined at the city's famous marble Falaknuma Palace, once owned by the Nizams of royals of the region.
Ivanka, also an informal adviser to her father, received a warm welcome in the high-tech hub of Hyderabad with all the trappings of a state guest. She said it's start-ups "may" just outshine "your world-famous
biryani".
There was no mention of
biryani in the details provided of the lavish five-course dinner which was organized around what is called the longest dining table in the world - it seats 101 people.
Gosht Shikampuri Kebab,
Khubani ke Malai Kofta,
Murg Pista ka Salan and
Sitaphal Kulfi were the stars of the meal, according to chefs;
saffron and figs were used for special flavours.
Locally-sourced fabrics including Ikkat were shown off.
PM Narendra Modi, Ivanka Trump dined at Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad
The global business summit which has Ivanka leading the US delegation seeks better opportunities for women entrepreneurs battling heavy odds around the world.
Delhi is hoping will further boost political and economic ties with the United States under the Trump administration.
Falaknuma in the city's old quarters was home to the sixth Nizam, Mir Mahboob Ali Khan, who died in 1911.
Ivanka, wearing a bright green floral dress at the summit, said fuelling the growth of women-led businesses and closing the gender entrepreneurship gap could help expand global GDP by 2 percent.
The Global Entrepreneur Summit or GES is an event conceived by former U.S. President Barack Obama. It has previously been held in countries such as the United States and Turkey, but this year's edition is the first under the Trump administration.
Hyderabad's Falaknuma Palace: 'Falaknuma' means a mirror to the sky.
Billboards with pictures of Ivanka dotted many parts of Hyderabad which is also home to major U.S. firms such as Microsoft.
On the sidelines, Ivanka held talks with PM Modi, as well as Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj.
"This event not only connects the Silicon Valley with Hyderabad but also show-cases the close ties between the United States of America and India. It underlines our shared commitment towards encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation," PM Modi said.
India has become a major market for the United States, with two-way trade of about $115 billion last year. They aim to raise that to $500 billion by 2022. Military and strategic ties are also improving as China's influence rises in Asia and beyond.