Desi Down to the Last Detail

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10 Downing Street may have been 'balti-fied' ages ago- clearly it's now the White House's turn to be 'currified'- and so the State Dinner for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Gursharan and their two daughters (Upinder Singh and Amrit Singh in attendance) is as much a celebration of India as anything else. Not just the guests (from Deepak Chopra to Jhumpa Lahiri) to the menu (curry prawns and coconut basmati) to the entertainment (AR Rahman), but to the little details too. The floral decorations on the table are purple in 'homage' to the peacock, our national bird, magnolias are chosen because they are apparently native to both India and the US, and Michelle Obama's ivory dress is made by Indian-born designer Naeem Khan. (Earlier, for the ceremonial welcome and joint statement, she wore a rust dress that together with Mrs Gursharan Kaur's green, seemed to denote the tricolour!)

Red Carpet

On the red carpet into the White House too, it's Desi all the way - a very large contingent of them work in the West Wing, and at the First Lady's office. Indian-American Semonti Stephens, Michelle Obama's Deputy Press Secretary is one popular figure. So huge whistles and applause came for her from the White House press corps when she came to the State banquet dressed in a brocade maroon lehenga. Blushing, she described her outfit as something she bought in Kolkata for her own wedding last year. Now that they are planning a trip to India, it's only a matter of time before Michelle does a Lady Di/Cherie Blair, and dresses in a salwar kameez.

Michelle's Moment

The really unusual press-op was the banquet preview we were given by Michelle Obama herself. It's clear each painstaking detail to the Dinner was driven by the First Lady. She also called a dozen children from the projects to given them a brief on what state dinners are all about. A la our own PM's aam admi, she said to the kids she wanted them to think of it as 'Their White House' and quoting from Mahatma Gandhi, she told them 'be the change they wanted to be'. The kids were then given a sampling of the state banquet menu - rather refined fare, from "Red Lentil Soup with fresh cheese" and "Roasted potato dumplings with tomato chutney, chick peas and okra", and true to her down to earth style, she referred to it as "a really neat meal".

Blair-ing Accomodation

There was much consternation in the Indian press when it emerged that the Prime Minister would not be staying at the State vistor designated 'Blair House', as is the tradition. Turns out the PM himself requested it, so as to avoid the restrictive security around the official house located bang opposite the White House on Pennsylvania Ave. Instead he stayed at the Willard Hotel, and seemed to have been granted more than his wish - when we went across one evening, we found Mukesh Ambani, Sam Pitroda, Sant Singh Chatwal all milling about publicly in the lobby, looking slightly lost, as the entire area had been taken over by gaggles of giggling teenagers - attending the graduation party for a pretty Washington debutante!

Mumbai in Washington

It's certainly heartening to see that the Mumbai attacks find a place in the vocabulary of every American leader - from Obama, to Vice-President Biden to Hillary Clinton, they all mention the horror of 26/11. So should we be wondering about whether the US trip was mere lip-service, especially as Washington is more busy firming up its Af-Pak policy, than paying much attention to India's problems with terror? My two-bits: better not look a gift horse in the mouth, but also better not to be mealy mouthed. A full analysis of the trip soon...