Modi at Arlington Cemetery

Starting his first engagement during his three-day bilateral visit to the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday laid wreath at the ‘Tomb of the Unknown Soldier’ at the Arlington National Cemetery.

The prime minister also paid tribute to Indian-American astronaut Kalpana Chawla and other US astronauts who were on board the ill-fated space shuttle Columbia and perished when it disintegrated while reentering the earth's orbit on February 1, 2003.

‘In homage to heroism and indomitable courage. PM Narendra Modi at the Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial,’ he said in another tweet.

After the wreath laying ceremony, he also interacted with American astronaut Sunita Williams and her father Deepak Pandya who among others were present there.

‘In the presence of astronaut Sunita Williams and Kalpana Chawla’s family,’ Swarup tweeted.

‘In memory of the crew of Space Shuttle Columbia,’ the PMO tweeted with photographs of the PM laying wreath at the memorial.

Modi’s other engagements on Tuesday include two events at Blair House.

The prime minister would be meeting President Obama on June 7, followed by a lunch in his honour.