The token of friendship presented to Bill Gates by Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu at Visakhapatnam is none other than a Bobbili Veena.

The choice of gift for marking the ties of friendship and solidarity between Bill Gates and Andhra Pradesh was the famous Bobbili Veena which truly symbolizes the art and culture of Andhra Pradesh. It was presented as a memento by our Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. The Bobbili Veena was presented in a glass case and elicited a true happiness in the globe trotter, philanthropist and entrepreneur extraordinaire Bill Gates.

In what can be termed as a truly successful endeavor, the visit has placed warm appreciation for the role model set by Andhra Pradesh. The other gifts include a fine specimen of our cultural fabric, the hand woven wonder of an Uppada Sari which originates in the East Godavari district. That is not all. A framed portrait of Bill gates was in addition to the gifts and he was very thrilled to receive them.

The Microsoft co-founder and chairman of Bill and Melinda Gates foundation received these at the brief valedictory ceremony at the AP AgTech Summit conducted jointly by Andhra Pradesh Government, CII and Dalberg. His admiration at the conference in Visakhapatnam was genuine when he appreciated the steps that have so far been taken to adopt a more modern approach towards agriculture and smart technology and the plans that were being put into place for the future.