PM Modi’s thoughtful gift: Classic books for Elon Musk’s children during US visit

PM Modi present books to Musk's children: The Crescent Moon by Rabindranath Tagore, The Great RK Narayan Collection, and Panchatantra by Pandit Vishnu Sharma.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday in Washington DC, this time accompanied by his partner, Shivon Zilis, and their three children.

Elon Musk with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington DC, this time accompanied by his partner, Shivon Zilis, and their three children.(X)

The meeting, held at Blair House, saw Modi present books to Elon Musk's children: The Crescent Moon by Rabindranath Tagore, The Great RK Narayan Collection, and Panchatantra by Pandit Vishnu Sharma. Photos shared on social media by Modi showed Musk's children reading the books.

Modi said in a social media post, “It was also a delight to meet Mr Elon Musk's family and to talk about a wide range of subjects.”

Musk confirmed that he and Shivon Zilis, an executive at Neuralink, have a third child after having twins together in 2021. Musk, the richest man in the world, has fathered 12 children.

Justine Musk, his first wife, tragically lost their first son to sudden infant death syndrome. They later had five children through IVF: twins Griffin and Vivian, followed by triplets Saxon, Damian, and Kai. Later, he had three children with artist Grimes, named "X," "Y," and "Techno Mechanicus," also known as "Tau."

During the conversation, Modi noted that "very good" discussions had taken place with Musk on topics like space, mobility, technology, and innovation. Modi also mentioned India's ongoing efforts to reshape governance based on the principles of "Minimum Government, Maximum Governance."

‘Very good meeting with Elon Musk’

“Had a very good meeting with Elon Musk in Washington DC. We discussed various issues, including those he is passionate about such as space, mobility, technology and innovation. I talked about India’s efforts towards reform and furthering ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance,” Modi posted on X.

The Prime Minister's Office confirmed that Modi and Musk discussed strengthening US-India collaboration in areas in innovation, space exploration, artificial intelligence, and sustainable development. Their discussion also touched upon opportunities to deepen cooperation in emerging technologies, entrepreneurship and good governance.

Modi was accompanied by external Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, US Ambassador Vinay Kwatra, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. The meeting took place just hours before Modi was scheduled to meet former President Donald Trump at the White House.