The President
and First Lady pose with India's Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh and Mrs. Gursharan Kaur during the White House State Dinner.
November 25, 2009 – President Obama
hosted his first State Dinner at the White House last evening for the Prime Minister
of India, Manmohan Singh and wife, Mrs. Gursharan Kaur.
In an early afternoon press conference
with Prime Minister Singh, the President said, “I believe that
the relationship between the United States and India will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century, and this
visit underscores the strengthening of that partnership, which I hope will continue throughout my presidency. That's why I've
made it a priority to broaden the cooperation between our nations.”
Among
the items the president feels the US and India can work together on include developing clean energy partnerships, confronting
climate change, stopping infectious disease, reducing hunger, and working to end extreme poverty.
“This
is a moment of great opportunity in our relationship. India and the United States can, and must, work together to harness
the immense potential of our talented and enterprising people, and support each other's growth and prosperity. We should
cooperate in addressing global challenges of combating terrorism, making our environment cleaner and moving towards a world
free of nuclear weapons”, said Prime Minister Singh.
The President plans to visit India in
2010.
Opinions vary on the presence of the Prime
Minister’s visit to the White House as Indians feel the President has not kept promises to the people of India made
during Obama’s campaign for the presidency. Others believe the Prime Minister’s
visit to Washington is a step in the right direction.
(Left to right)
First Lady Michelle
Obama addresses mentees on the history and protocol of State Dinners and official White House visits.Social Secretary Desiree Rogers, White
House historian Bill Allman, and protocol executive Tanya Turner look on. (Photos)
Earlier in the day Mrs. Obama hosted student mentees from
the White House Leadership and Mentoring Program, in the State Dining Room of the White House, for a presentation on the of
history of State Dinners and official protocol.
“One of the ways that First Ladies in the past have tried to include
the broader public in on what's going on is by holding these types of events where we invite the press to share some of the
incredible behind-the-scenes work that goes into planning and pulling off this amazing day", said Mrs. Obama.
White House historian William Allman spoke
on the history of State Dinners, while Tanya Turner, protocol officer from State Department, spoke on etiquette and protocol
appropriate for State Dinners.
The official White House State dinner was held on the South Lawn of the White House in a tent that accommodated the
over 300 guests.
The
Prime Minister and President participated in the traditional State Dinner toast after remarks were given by each.
White House State Dinner 2009 - A
Glimpse Inside
Entertainment
Chicago Jazz artist Kurt Elling, Jennifer Hudson , the National Symphony Orchestra and India’s A.R. Rahman provided the evening's entertainment. Chicago jazz artist Kurt Elling, Jennifer Hudson, , and the National Symphony Orchestra
provided the entertainment for the evening.
Dinner Menu: The dinner menu, created by guest Chef Marcus Samuelsson and White House Exec Chef Cristeta Comerford, included potato and eggplant salad, red lentil soup with
fresh cheese, chick peas and okra, smoked collard greens, coconut aged basmati, pumpkin pie tart, passion fruit and vanilla
gelees, chocolate dipped fruit, roasted potato dumplings.
Table
Setting: Flowers of hydrangea, garden roses, and sweet peas accompanied the
Porcelain Eisenhower services plates, the Clinton State china service plates, and the George W. Bush china dinner plates making
for a very impressive setting.
Guests:
Attending the prestigious event were actors Alfre Woodard (President's Arts and Humanities Council)
and Blair Underwood, Dr. Sunjay Gupta, Deepok Chopta, film composer A.R. Rahman, Colin Powell and wife, Congressman John Conyers, Congressman Elijah Cummings, Katie Couric, Attorney General Eric Holder,
Mayor Fenty and wife Michelle, Gayle King (no Oprah), Senator John Kerry, Secretary of State Hilliary Clinton, and others.
State
Dinner Trivia: The first State Dinner for a foreign head of state was held for King David Kalakaua of Hawaii by President and Mrs.
Ulysses S. Grant on December 12, 1874.
The previous State Dinner held at the White House was for the President and First Lady of Ghana,
hosted by President Bush on September 15, 2008.
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