 "Chandy gifts carved elephant to Prince Charles on b'day")
Birthday boy Prince Charles was gifted an exquisitely carved wooden elephant on his 65th birthday Thursday by Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.
He met Prince Charles at the famed tourist location of Kumarakom in Kottayam district.
Chandy told IANS that his family also accompanied him and the two families spent 20 minutes exchanging views on various issues.
"I handed him (Prince Charles) a copy of the Perspective Plan 2030 of our government as I have come to know that he has huge interests in sustainable development. Then I gave him a copy of the state's initiative on disability and on the activities done by NISH (state owned National Institute of Speech and Hearing)," said Chandy.
He added that he "decided to give him these documents because I know that his passion towards physically challenged is something to be learned".
"We requested help from him to see that experts in these fields from his country cooperate with our experts. He readily agreed and said he would do the needful."
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Chandy's wife Mariamma Oommen Chandy also carried gifts for the Duchess of Cornwall and they included the traditional Kerala sari and a jewellery box made of wood.
The chief minister said that Prince Charles was "delighted to be in our state and said that he is pleased the way the state government took care of his four-day visit".
"He even expressed his desire to be back in Kerala and also pointed out that he shares his birthday with that of (India's first prime minister) Pandit (Jawaharlal) Nehru," added Chandy.
The royal couple will leave from Kochi for Colombo later in the day.