I never expected to see so many faces of modern India as I saw Tuesday night. The White House’s state dinner, its first of the new administration, honored Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. It was every sequin and silk cravat a glittering and sumptuous affair, as the media has made it out to be, Yet in the midst of it all I sensed the first sprouts of a new level of understanding and partnership between India and the United States, something not achieved in all the ceremony of the President’s China visit. There, the smiles of the Chinese were backed by ruthless self-interest. Here one felt a basis of true warmth.
NPR phoned me this morning to ask why someone as strange as me was invited. Actually, my wife Rita and I dined at one of the Clintons’ formal dinners. But the Obama’s raised the level of care, sensitivity and detail paid to their guests. Few of us in the Indian diaspora have been very visible until recently. We amount to an insignificant voting bloc at 2.6 million, but looking around the room, I saw much more than the stereotype of doctors, motel owners, and dubious accents answering the phone across the world with "Hello, my name is Shirley. How can I help you today?"
The Obama administration showed a sure touch, offering assurance to India that this country made a good decision last November. Every detail of the menu (green shrimp curry instead of chicken breast) , décor and entertainment (a rambunctious Bollywood-style reprise of the anthem "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire) conveyed cultural respect and generosity.
As we entered, the receiving line was cordial and comfortably cross-cultural. The Obamas chatted, offered knowing remarks ("Keep that advice coming, Deepak"), posed for photos. I was more self-conscious, surprisingly, in the presence of the Indian Prime Minister and his wife, who are more ceremonial and, in his case, formally eloquent, as we discovered during the dinner speeches. Being almost fifteen years the President’s senior, I felt a paternal wave come over me and in response to his kind words found myself saying how proud I was of him and all he was doing.
Meeting a President throws you off balance, no matter how prepared you are. I blurted out a mild Sarah Palin joke. He gave a noncommittal smile. I walked away from the First Couple impressed not by the effortless ease of professional celebrities but by a genuine courtesy of the heart.
Once we were seated President Obama spoke movingly about the future of India and the United States as partners. The relationship between the two countries is not only beneficial for each other, but together we become a powerful force of prosperity and peace for the entire world. He invoked Jawaharlal Nehru’s speech at the birth of India’s nationhood, where Nehru called upon midnight’s children — as everyone saw themselves, not just newborns like me — to leave the past behind in order to shape a future of freedom, opportunity and peace. Prime Minister Singh continued this theme of mutual prosperity and enrichment between our two nations in his distinctive Punjabi accent. It seemed an epoch away that India was a closed society, aligned with Soviet socialist programs, crippled by bureaucracy, sold out to corruption. Not that a good deal of that legacy isn’t alive still.
Celebrity chef Marcus Samuelson, brought in from New York and his sophisticated roost at Aquavit, offered a wonderful selection of vegetarian dishes like chick pea and okra dahl, another stroke of cultural empathy (perhaps the most powerful one of the evening, given the Indian nostalgia for the food we were raised on). There was room for regional American foods like collard greens and cornbread (found in India, too — did they know?) It was all prepared in a way that Dr. Dean Ornish would approve of, and aligned to Michelle Obama’s message of sustainability. The Obama administration actually understands that future prosperity must come through a green economy, not in spite of it.
Rita and I were seated with Steny Hoyer, Vernon Jordan and his wife Ann, Admiral Michael Mullen and his wife Deborah, Fareed Zakaria and his wife Paula. The table conversation rambled over many topics including Indian history, healthy lifestyles, politics, and stress management. One marveled at Deborah Mullen’s in-depth knowledge of Gandhi, Lord Mountbatten and Pakistan’s founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. On the topic of meditation, Paula Throckmorton Zakaria spoke at length of her personal experience and the journey through her meditation practice.
Has the White House ever witnessed folk dancing from Prime Minister Singh’s native Punjab? Afterwards he remarked on the coming together of "ancient tradition and modernity." We stood up with everyone else after Jennifer Hudson’s rendition of "Somewhere" from West Side Story.
When the President talked about Nehru’s vision for the future, I looked around at the other Indians in attendance and realized that we are all the product of the dreams put in place those sixty years ago. The now-famous Indian Institutes of Technology and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences that I graduated from were begun all those years ago with a single intention to create a more progressive, prosperous and powerful future.
India and the United States have a shared opportunity now for a new level of growth and opportunity that can include everyone, not just the fortunate and privileged. I believe Pakistan has this opportunity available to it as well. With a primary dedication in each nation to economic progress over militarism, extending basic education and health services to all, and reaching a mediated solution to Kashmir, two enemies could create a peaceful coalition instead of the conflict-driven, fear-based, grab-it-while-you-can policies we see around us.
As Pakistan continues to divert massive military resources to Kashmir in fear of India, the Taliban is allowed to spread its violence and grow stronger. As Obama contemplates the hard decision over new troop levels in Afghanistan, I am convinced that the situation does not have a military solution. (Rita had a moment with Vice-President Joe Biden and impressed upon him her view that more troops are not the answer.)
On the other side of the Indo-American alliance, New Delhi needs to reorder its priorities. The country is facing an uncontrolled AIDS epidemic; 30% of its children go to sleep hungry every night; and 300 million live in radical poverty. All this while the government spends lavishly on defense and the rich get shockingly richer. There as here, a green, sustainable future is a historic imperative, and if this state dinner has moved us incrementally closer to that future, then it was a human success and not simply a splashy night on the town.
Dr. D at the state dinner…pretty lofty stuff…
hey, what about those two party crashers…damn! they have some $%^&*!
I once saw an indianist saying Indians have a sense with identity according to
their families, not nation, like we do in the west. I wonder which approach
is best. Sometimes the state can offer good leverage if you don
Dear Deepak,
Namaste! Thank you for taking the time to share your awesome firsthand experiences with us. We have a great respect for American's but at the same time we are absolutely proud to be an Indian. Your representation as our spiritual leader at the White House state dinner was one of our proudest moments. I believe this is just a beginning. With the great power that God has vested in you, there will be many more wonderful opportunities like this where Obama's family and your family will get a chance to exchange dialogs to understand each other
What a wonderful and inspiring evening! This is just one example of how the Obamas understand the importance of bridging cultural gaps and renewing America's commitment to celebrating diversity.
So pleased to know that you were there spreading your wisdom and fostering thoughts of Peace. Fascinating topics at your table- important subjects that need to be discussed. As always, Thank you Dr. Chopra for keeping these conversations going and encouraging others to do the same.
Namaste
True Substance at the White House,….. beyond politics, and standing firm on the True idea founded in One God… Thank you Mr President for making the true idea Self evident…………..
Uniting the Eastern and Western strengths and their finest distinctive features , a long ago prophecy now being fulfilled and made evidently clear….
Excerpts from SRF…1920
"To spread a spirit of brotherhood among all peoples; and to aid in establishing, in many countries, self sustaining world brotherhood colonies for plain living and high thinking.".
"To overcome evil by good, sorrow by joy, cruelty by kindness, ignorance by wisdom"…
"To serve mankind as one larger Self"…..
Words– from Paramahansa Yogananda
(Progress, the mandate of One Divine Mind )
Great post/analysis.
fyi: There's a very insightful article by Fareed Zakaria about the geopolitical interplay b/w the interests of US and India. Natural partners.
Are u barggin'?
Bargaining, Diab
Yeah, know what you mean and not my friend Pavel !!
Damn, granpa!
Dear Deepak,
Rita and you being at The White House's state dinner is such good news !!
A toast to a green sustainable future !!
Dear Deepak,
The India State Hunger Index 2008 by the International Food Research Institute
shows this facts:30% Extremely Alarming,20-29,90%Alarming,10-19,90%Serious.
A 2007 report by the state-run National Commission for Enterprises in the
Unorganized Sector(NCEUS)found that 77% of Indians,836 million people lived
on less than 20 rupees(approximately USD 0,50 nominal;2 PPP)per day.
The statistics for the year 2007 are showing that the average poor family had
about 100 kg less food per year than it did 1997.
The most concerning thing is that India has a higher rate of malnutrition among
children under age of three(46% in 2007)than any other country in the world and
it is twice as great as Sub Saharan Africa.
Speaking of liberalization the extremely high human cost that Indian people are
paying not to mention the hundreds of thousands of suicides because of getting
into debt cycle as a result of the agrarian crisis in decades.
I did find the Official figures estimations projection on declining the poverty to 26%
by 2025 but it still means that millions of people are condemned to hunger and
humiliation without having the possibility of leading a decent life as they deserve.
Dear Deepak, I hope influential people as you and many other present at this
lovely dinner will make a difference,will make their voices be heard far enough as
we hear "the songbird inside of you" spreading your spiritual voice into this world
and beyond.
As Siddhartha advises Govinda to look to nature, we must keep the metaphor for
understanding the unity and eternality of the world.
Sincerely,
Eva
Dear Deepak,
In continuation of Eva:
The contrast is enorm. On the opposite, India is on her way to build world class cities, see an article below.
Instead, they could choose to put many portacabins or prefabs for woman and childrens that are homeless and have to sleep on the streets, even in New Delhi.
Or they can even develop a logistic system for rubish to prevent environmental pollution or cow eating plastics.
Perhaps this third world country is trying to develop a metropole to attract tourists for the National income, but I think many people are avoiding India, including me, because they can't bear the inhumanity.
07/01/2009 16:26
INDIA
A new bridge named after Rajiv Gandhi opens in Mumbai linking Bandra and Worli
After five years of construction Sonia Gandhi inaugurates new Bandra Worli Sea Link which ties Bandra and western suburbs to the downtown area. The four-lane, 5.6 kilometre structure that stretches across the bay cost 16.5 billion rupees. Residents celebrate the new monument to progress which makes Mumbai a world class city.
Mumbai (AsiaNews)
Thank you, Deepak for such a wonderful report. So those of us who follow you could know what it was like to be there. And sounds like it was an important evening for the future between US and India. With gratitude. http://www.liveinfreedomtoday.com
Are u hungry? Who wanna organize dinna?
I'm so happy that you and Rita, in this incarnation, were able to have this amazing experience.
In what way do you think this impacts your ego?
We must exam our egos?