In a green affair featuring locally grown food and held on the White House lawn, U.S President Barack Obama welcomed Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to his first official state dinner Tuesday night (November 24, 2009).
The black-tie gala was seen as an important gesture of co-operation between the two countries.
It was held under a tent on the South Lawn of the White House, in keeping with a theme of "the Obamas' dedication to green and sustainable elements," according to an official White House summary.
The food included vegetables grown in the White House garden; a meatless entree to satisfy Sardar Manmohan Singh, a vegetarian; and gift bags that included a jar of honey from White House beehives. Locally grown magnolias lined the dinner tent.
WHY INDIA?
In welcoming the crowd to his first state dinner as President, Mr. Obama praised the relationship between India and the United States, the world's two largest democracies.
"Tonight, under the stars, we celebrate the spirit that will sustain our partnership, the bond of friendship between our people," he told the crowd. He credited a "movement led by giants like Gandhi and King, which are the reason both of us can stand here tonight."
Mr. Manmohan Singh pledged continued co-operation between the countries and heaped praise on Mr. Obama and first lady Michelle Obama. "You do us and the people of India great honour by this wonderful gesture on your part," he said of being selected for the first state dinner.
"We are overwhelmed by the warmth of your hospitality, the courtesy you have extended to us personally, and the grace and charm of the first lady," Mr. Manmohan Singh said. "You are an inspiration to all those who cherish the values of democracy, diversity, and equal opportunity."
After brief speeches, Mr. Obama thanked the crowd and Mr. Manmohan Singh, to whom he quietly said, smiling: "Finally you can sit down and eat."
GUESTS
The five-course meal was prepared by Marcus Samuelsson, an award-winning chef who has apprenticed across Europe and the United States and was named one of "The Great Chefs of America" by the Culinary Institute of America.
The meal began with potato and eggplant salad and White House arugula, and added a red lentil soup soon after.
A choice of entrees included roasted potato dumplings with tomato chutney, chick peas and okra, or a meal of green curry prawns.
In a nod to the upcoming American Thanksgiving, a pumpkin pie tart was among a number of dessert courses.
Ms. Obama worked with Mr. Samuelsson and White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford to develop "a menu that reflects the best of American cuisine, continues this White House's commitment to serving fresh, sustainable and regional food, and honours the culinary excellence and flavours that are present in Indian cuisine."
The desserts were garnished with mint and lemon verbena grown in the White House garden.
ATTIRE
While India's First Lady, Sardarni Gursharan Kaur, wore a traditional sari, Ms. Obama's golden, strapless gown also had an Indian flavour.
Naeem Khan, who designed Ms. Obama's dress, said the gown took three weeks of work by about 40 people to make.
"It's so beautiful, totally handmade," explained Mr. Khan.
In addition to the silver-sequined gown, Ms. Obama wore a matching wrap, a stack of bangle bracelets on her wrist and dangling earrings.
"I think she looks fabulous," said Mary Tomer, author of the new book Mrs. O: The Face of Fashion Democracy . "She walked out in something that's figure-flattering and chic. Naeem's work is known for glamour and embellishment and this dress seems to embody that. She's sparkling and radiant."
Mr. Obama stuck to a classic tuxedo.
"I often feel Obama's suits are too big on him, but I think he got a new tux," said Hal Rubenstein, fashion director for InStyle magazine.
GUESTS
The list of 320 invitees included political heavyweights, Hollywood moguls, Sikh-American and Indo-American leaders.
Vice-President Joe Biden, Senator John Kerry, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton led a cast of Democrats joining the President. Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana and Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana were among the Republicans invited to attend. CBS host Katie Couric, Thomas Friedman of The New York Times and CNN correspondent Sanjay Gupta were among the media figures attending. Directors Steven Spielberg and M. Night Shyamalan were the biggest Hollywood names, with Deepak Chopra, Amrit Singh, Analjit Singh, Balwinder Singh, Mohinder Singh, Lakhwinder Singh, Sukhbir Kaur, Upinder Singh, Sant Singh Chhatwal among the Sikh and Indo-American attendees.
ENTERTAINMENT
The night featured a number of performances, including those by Oscar-winning songstress Jennifer Hudson, eight-time Grammy nominated jazz singer Kurt Elling and the National Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Elling hails from Chicago, the home city of the Obamas. The evening included a performance by Indian star A.R. Rahman, a composer, record producer, musician and singer best known in North America as the composer of Slumdog Millionaire song Jai Ho .
In keeping with custom, it also included a performance by The President's Own United States Marine Band, which dates back to 1798.
STATE DINNER: WHO'S AT THE HEAD TABLES?
Just as it is when you finally make it past the velvet rope, only to find that there's another, more exclusive VIP room ... so it was with the nation's most coveted invitation, a White House state dinner. A few hundred got to attend, but only a handful got to sit with the President and First Lady.
At Tuesday's dinner for Sardar Manmohan Singh and Sardarni Gursharan Kaur, some obvious picks for the prime seats - the prime minister's daughters and a Nobel laureate at Michelle Obama's table -- but also some surprising ones: Hollywood titan David Geffen, and his boyfriend Jeremy Lingvall at President Obama's table.
PRESIDENT'S TABLE
Mrs. Gursharan Kaur, India's First Lady
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass)
Ambassador to India Tim Roemer
Mary Johnston, Roemer's guest (likely a relative of his wife, Sally Johnston Roemer)
Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo
Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Paul Pelosi, her husband
David Geffen, the Hollywood titan
Jeremy Lingvall, Geffen's boyfriend
FIRST LADY'S TABLE
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Amrit Singh, the Prime Minister's daughter, an ACLU lawyer in New York
Upinder Singh, another daughter, a Professor at University of Delhi
Dr. Amartya Sen, Nobel-prize winning economist, now at Harvard
Emma Rothschild, Dr. Sen's wife, economic historian, now at Harvard
Gen. Colin Powell, former Secretary of State
Alma Powell, his wife
Rep. Howard Berman, (D-Calif.)
THE STATE DINNER
by Darlene Superville
The first state dinner of the Obama White House had it all: Oscar-winning entertainers, Hollywood moguls, a knockout guest chef and even a wardrobe malfunction.
Traditional evening gowns vied with saris of vibrant colours Tuesday night at the high-glitz dinner in honour of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. There were turbans and bindis as well as diamonds and brocades.
"Everyone looks great; we're feeling great," White House social secretary Desiree Rogers told a phalanx of cameras as she arrived, betraying no hint of nerves at the biggest social event of the Obama presidency.
First lady Michelle Obama had been a little more forthcoming earlier in the day when she described the trick to pulling off the event as sort of like being a swan: calm and serene above the water but "paddling like mad, going crazy underneath."
The 338-person guest list was a mix of Washington insiders, Hollywood A-listers, prominent figures from the Sikh-American and Indian community in the U.S., and Obama friends, family and campaign donors.
Attorney General Eric Holder patted his pocket as he arrived and said his kids had prepped him with all sorts of questions for tablemate Steven Spielberg. U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, asked who she was most looking forward to chatting with, ventured, "I'd have to name four." Then didn't.
Sen. Bob Casey had to scramble when his ensemble went rogue at just the wrong moment: His cummerbund dropped to the floor just as he and his wife stopped to pose before a scrum of about 40 reporters and photographers.
Alfre Woodard and Blair Underwood provided the celebrity quotient, but neither could come up with a connection to India. Mr. Underwood said he was there because of Ms. Woodard. She said she was there because she's on the president's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.
Dinner guests were treated to an eye-catching scheme of green and purple, from the green curry surrounding the prawns to the purple floral arrangements paying homage to the peacock, India's national bird.
Pumpkin was on the menu, too, with Tuesday's dinner coming just two days before the American harvest holiday of Thanksgiving.
Hours before guests arrived and in keeping with tradition, Mrs. Obama previewed the glamorous table settings in the State Dining Room. That's often the venue for such dinners, but not this time.
Instead, in an effort to show Mr. Manmohan Singh how much the U.S. values relations with his country, the Obamas decided to serve dinner in a huge white tent on the South Lawn, with views of the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial through clear panels.
It wasn't your everyday tent: This one had chandeliers suspended from the ceiling and beige carpet on the floor.
President Barack Obama, in his dinner toast, said the setting conjured images of India, where special events are "often celebrated under the cover of a beautiful tent." Mr. Manmohan Singh, in turn, told the president he was overwhelmed by the Obamas' hospitality and said the president's election last year had been an inspiration to millions of Indians.
Magnolia branches native to both India and the U.S. adorned the tent's inside walls, along with ivy and nandina foliage.
Guests were seated 10 apiece at round tables draped in green apple-coloured cloths and napkins, offset by the sparkle of gold-coloured flatware and china, including service and dinner plates from the Eisenhower, Clinton and George W. Bush settings.
Floral arrangements of hydrangeas, roses and sweet peas in plum, purple and fuschia evoked India's state bird.
Mrs. Obama brought in award-winning chef Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit, a Scandinavian restaurant in New York City, to help White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford and her staff prepare the largely vegetarian meal. Mr. Manmohan Singh is a vegetarian.
Mr. Samuelsson said being chosen to help whip up dinner was both "overwhelming and humbling."
The culinary offerings included potato and eggplant salad, arugula from the White House garden, red lentil soup and roasted potato dumplings or green curry prawns. Pumpkin pie tart and pear tatin were for dessert; the pears were poached in honey from the White House beehive.
The entertainment lineup was stellar.
Singer-actress Jennifer Hudson and jazz vocalist and composer Kurt Elling, both Grammy Award winners from the Obamas' hometown of Chicago, were performing. Ms. Hudson also won an Academy Award for her role in Dreamgirls . Indian musician and singer A.R. Rahman, who won two Academy Awards for the music in Slumdog Millionaire , also was in the lineup.
Among the other guests: Hollywood moguls David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg. Guests with ties to India included spiritual adviser Deepak Chopra, director M. Night Shyamalan and PepsiCo chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi. Katie Couric of CBS News, Brian Williams of NBC News, Robin Roberts of ABC News and CNN Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta were among the media representatives invited. Oprah Winfrey was not on the list, but her best friend, Gayle King, was among the guests. Also there Obama friends Eric Whitaker and Martin Nesbitt, along with Mr. Obama's half sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, and her husband, Konrad; and Marian Robinson, the first lady's mother.
Every aspect of Tuesday's events was fraught with meaning and symbolism, from the flower colours to Mrs. Obama's clothing designers.
For the dinner, Mrs. Obama wore a sleeveless, gold and cream-coloured sheath dress with an overlay of silver and matching shawl by Indian-born designer Naeem Khan. At the State Dining Room event earlier in the day, the first lady wore a skirt by Rachel Roy, who is Indian.
The dinner also was a debut of sorts for florist Laura Dowling, who's been on the job less than a month.
The list of expected guests for President Barack Obama's first White House state dinner in honor of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, as provided by the White House.
Barack Obama and U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama
Sardar Manmohan Singh and India'a First Lady, Sardarni Gursharan Kaur
Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y.
Sant Singh Chatwal
Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of India's Planning Commission
Mukesh D. Ambani
Tim Dutta, spouse of Pia Awal
David Axelrod, White House senior adviser, and Susan Axelrod
Preeta Bansal, general counsel for the Office of Management and Budget
Melody Barnes, White House domestic policy director, and Marland E. Buckner
Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., and Jane Berman
Om Prakash Bhatt
Hunter Biden and Kathleen Biden
Vice President Joe Biden and Jill Biden
Robert O. Blake Jr., the assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs, and Sofia Blake
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Diana Taylor
John Brennan, assistant to the president for homeland security and deputy national security adviser for counterterrorism, and Katherine Brennan
Lisa Brown, White House staff secretary, and Kevin Cullen
Donald Browne and Maria Junqera
Carol Browner, White House adviser on energy and climate, and Tom Downey
William Burns, undersecretary of state for political affairs, and Lisa Carty
Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Sandee Cartwright
Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Terese Casey
Rajiv Chandrasekaran and Julie Chandrasekaran
I.S. Chaturvedi, personal secretary to India's prime minister
Minnesota state Sen. Satveer Chaudhry and Col. Ravi Chaudhry
Rohini Chopra
Deepak Chopra and Rita Chopra
Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Jean Chu
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., and Emily Clyburn
Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and Lucy Calutti
David Cote
Katie Couric of CBS and Brooks L. Perlin
Greg Craig, White House counsel, and Margaret D. Craig
Paula Crown and Jim Crown
Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., and Maya Rockeymoore
Iowa Sen. Swati Dandekar and Arvind Dandekar
Rajesh De, deputy assistant attorney general at the Justice Department
Nancy-Ann DeParle, director of the White House Office of Health Reform, and Jason P. DeParle
Bhairavi Desai and Javaid Tariq
Vishakha N. Desai and Robert Oxman
Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., and Jackie Clegg Dodd
John Doerr
Thomas Donilon, assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser, and Cathy Russell
Anita Dunn, White House communications director, and Bob Bauer
Ari Emanuel and Sarah Emanuel
Rahm Emanuel, White House chief of staff, and Amy Rule
Jon Favreau, assistant to the president and director of speechwriting
Sarah Feinberg, of the Office of the Chief of Staff
District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty and Michelle Fenty
Michelle Flournoy
Thomas Friedman and Ann Friedman
Mike Froman, deputy assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs
Ashok S. Ganguly
Patrick Gaspard, White House political director and Raina Washington
Defense Secretary Robert Gates
Charlene Gaynor and Richard Heiss
David Geffen and Jeremy Lingvall
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Carole Sonnenfeld
Robert Gibbs, White House press secretary
Anish Goel, acting senior director of South Asia affairs for the National Security Council
Senapathy Gopalakrishnan
Mark Gorenberg and Wendy Wanderman
John Gorman and Tamra Gorman
Ohio state Rep. Jay Goyal and Kiran Goyal
Kansas state Rep. Raj Goyle and Monica Arora
Gov. Jennifer Granholm, D-Mich., and Daniel Mulhern
Earl G. Graves and Barbara Graves
Geeta Rao Gupta and Arvind Gupta
Raj Gupta
Rajat Gupta and Anita M. Gupta
Sanjay Gupta and Rebecca Olson Gupta
Lee Hamilton and Nancy Hamilton
Kamala Harris and Maya Harris
Kamil Hassan and Talat Hassan
George Haywood and Cheryl J. Haywood
Fred Hochberg, chairman and president of the Export-Import Bank, and Thomas P. Healy
Rep. Paul Hodes, D-N.H., and Margaret Hodes
Attorney General Eric Holder and Sharon Malone
John P. Holdren and Cheryl E. Holdren
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., and John Norton
Robert D. Hormats, undersecretary of state for economic, energy and agricultural affairs, and Camille Massey
Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and Kathleen May
Chris Hughes and Sean S. Eldridge
Jeff Immelt
Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, and Irene Hirano
Deepa Iyer, Parag Khandhar and Vasudeva Iyer
Lisa Jackson, Environmental Protection Agency administrator, and Kenneth Jackson
Valerie Jarrett, White House senior adviser
Gov. Bobby Jindal, R-La., and Supriya Jindal
James Jones, national security adviser, and Diane Jones
Vernon Jordan, former adviser to President Bill Clinton, and Ann Jordan
Anil Kakani
Farooq Kathwari and Farida Kathwari
Neal Katyal, deputy solicitor general
Jeffrey Katzenberg and Marilyn Katzenberg
Maneesha Kelkar and Vinay Vaishampayan
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.
Harish Khare, media adviser to Indian prime minister
Bradley Kiley, of the Office of Management and Administration, and James Coley, Jr.
Gayle King, close friend of Oprah Winfrey
U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Matrice Ellis-Kirk
Ron Klain, the vice president's chief of staff
Chanda Kochhar
S.M. Krishna, Indian minister of External Affairs
Gaitri Kumar, joint secretary for the Americas, Ministry of External Affairs of India
Vivek Kundra, federal chief information officer at the White House
Jhumpa Lahiri, author, and Alberto Vourvoulias
Marc Lasry, co-founder of hedge fund Avenue Capital Group, and Cathy Lasry
Jacob Lew, the deputy secretary of state for management and resources
Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, and Mona Locke
Christopher Lu, Cabinet secretary, and Kathryn Thomson
Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., and Char Lugar
Michael Lynton, chairman and chief executive of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Elizabeth Jamie Alter
Surinder Malhotra
Capricia Marshall, chief of protocol at the State Department
Alyssa Mastromonaco, of the White House Office of Scheduling
Brian Mathis and Tracey Kemble
Kiran Mazumda-Shaw
Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and Joseph Shepard
Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., and Therese Marie Hansen
Zarin Mehta and Carmen Lasky
Jim Messina, Obama's deputy chief of staff
Judd Miner and Linda Miner
Newt Minow and Josephine Minow
Sunil Bharti Mittal
Kalpen Modi, associate director in the Office of Public Liaison
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Deborah Mullen
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano
Indian National Security Adviser M. K. Narayanan
Shantanu Narayen and Reni Narayen
Raju Narisetti and Durga Raghunath
Martin Nesbitt, Obama's friend, and Anita Blanchard
Maya Soetoro-Ng, Obama's half-sister, and Konrad Ng
Indra Nooyi, chairman and CEO of PepsiCo.
Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., and Joan Obey
Peter Orszag, White House budget director
Jim Owens and Katie Owens
Deepak Parekh
Eboo Patel and Shehnez Mansuri
Gov. Deval Patrick, D-Mass., and Diane Patrick
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Paul Pelosi
Dan Pfeiffer, White House communications director
Sam Pitroda and Anjana Pitroda
Colin Powell, former Secretary of State, and Alma Powell
Rachakonda Prabhu and Lata Shete Prabhu
Penny Pritzker and Brian Traubert
Kavita Ramdas
Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao
Preetha Reddy
Gov. Ed Rendell, D-Pa., and Marjorie Rendell
Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser for strategic communications
Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and Ian Cameron
Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M., and Barbara Richardson
Robin Roberts of ABC News
Marian Robinson, the first lady's mother
Timothy Roemer, U.S. ambassador to India, and Mary Johnston
Desiree Rogers, White House social secretary
John Rogers
Christina Romer, chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers
Dennis Ross, of the National Security Council
Rep. Edward Royce, R-Calif., and Marie Therese Royce
Michael Sacks and Cari Sacks
Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., and James Sullivan
Pankaj Saran, joint secretary to Indian prime minister
Shyam Saran, special envoy to Indian prime minister
Jaideep Sarkar, personal secretary to Indian prime minister
Parag Saxena
Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., and Robert Creamer
Phil Schiliro, assistant to the president for legislative affairs, and Jody Schiliro
Annetta Seecharran and Seema Agnani
Stuart Seldowitz, acting director for South Asia at the National Security Council
Amartya Sen and Emma Georgina Rothschild
Rajiv J. Shah, undersecretary of agriculture for research, education and economics
Sonal Shah, deputy assistant to the president and director of the White House Domestic Policy Council's Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation
Vinod Shah
Meera Shankar, India's ambassador in Washington
Susan Sher, assistant to the president and chief of staff to the first lady, and Neil Cohen
M. Night Shyamalan, movie director, and Bhavna Shyamalan
Amrit Singh and Analjit Singh
Arun K. Singh, deputy chief of mission for the Indian Embassy
Balvinder Singh and Mohinder Singh
Lakhwinder Singh and Sukhbir Kaur
Upinder Singh
Steven Spielberg, movie director
Sri Srinivasan and Carla Garrett
Srinija Srinivasan
Jim Steinberg, deputy secretary of state, and Sherburne Bradstreet
Semonti Stephens, deputy press secretary for the first lady
Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union, and Anna Burger, Change to Win chairwoman
Jane Stetson and Bill Stetson
Larry Summers, director of the National Economic Council, and Elisa New
Mona Sutphen, White House deputy chief of staff, and Clyde Williams
Ratan Tata
Tina Tchen, director of the White House Office of Public Engagement
Vinai Thummalapally, U.S. ambassador to Belize, and Barbara Thummalapally
Jim Torrey and Rose P. Lynch
Richard Trumka and Paul H. Lemmon
Urvashi Vaid and Kate Clinton
Kirk Wagar and Crystal Connor
Eric E. Whitaker and Cheryl Whitaker
Brian Williams of NBC News and Jane Williams
Wellington Wilson and Mrs. Wilson (first name was not given)
Neal Wolin, deputy treasury secretary
Alfre Woodard, actress, and Blair E. Underwood, actor
Fareed Zakaria and Paula Throckmorton Zakaria
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