Thread to discuss anything about Obama's visit to India.
- There was this funny article on a suggested shopping list for Michelle Obama when in India.
- Looks like Obama is not going to visit Amritsar after all, and the unofficial reason is concern over reaction to him being photographed wearing a head scarf. http://wn.com/Obama_not_to_visit_Amritsar Some perverse satisfaction in seeing a male having more to worry than the female about attire in an India trip. :)
- Wonder why such a big hoopla happens over heads of state visiting countries. Maybe it is all to brag to the nearby countries that he is [i]not [/i]visiting. : )
- Obama will be staying at the Maurya Sheraton. Entire hotel is booked for two days. I always wanted to dine in its Bukhara restaurant, but settled for Karim's. Looks like Bukhara will be offering an 'Obama Platter', that is expected to have fish on it, besides 'murgh khurchan', among other things.
President Obama\'s visit to India
President Obama's visit to India
MV,
While I cant comment on the head of state politics, I can safely say that karims is way better than bukhara's, so u aint missed nothing. I have eaten at boths and karims wins 10 to none. Unless you are on a alpha female/alpha male trail. :wink.
RK
While I cant comment on the head of state politics, I can safely say that karims is way better than bukhara's, so u aint missed nothing. I have eaten at boths and karims wins 10 to none. Unless you are on a alpha female/alpha male trail. :wink.
RK
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sumachechi
- Posts: 1339
- Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2008 3:00 am
President Obama's visit to India
I heard the bill for Obama's visit is estimated at Rs 15 lakh/hour. Now do we do Athithi Devo Bhava, Indian style or present a bill or go Dutch?
Just curious.....
Just curious.....
President Obama's visit to India
sumachechi;344788I heard the bill for Obama's visit is estimated at Rs 15 lakh/hour. Now do we do Athithi Devo Bhava, Indian style or present a bill or go Dutch?
Just curious.....
Don't know about who is paying but folks in Mumbai surely will be. Entire Taj, Oberoi and half od a couple of other hotels are booked. This means that large parts of south Mumbai are off limits or getting there will be very painful. In a way, it is good that he is here on the diwali weekend and people don't have to go there.
Pros are that at least some stretches of roads are being spruced up.
Heard that some USCs in the city got invites from the consulate to join in a meeting (gathering / chat session) with Obama. I know because a collegue who is a Indian citizen got it for his 5 yr old USC kid. Of course the kid can be there but the parent because they are not USCs are not allowed :).
President Obama's visit to India
Mumbai mirror had an article today that US will be picking up the expense tab of Mumbai visit for Obama (like additional police security and all).
President Obama's visit to India
Sharing some excellent reads to figure out more on Obama's visit to India & what it means to both countries:
1. Sky's No Limit: Space based Solar power strategic partnership between India & USA ? Incredible details in 174 pages.
http://www.idsa.in/sites/default/files/OP_SkysNoLimit.pdf
2. New USA thinking on India: Coming Barack Obama visit offers an opportunity by Ambassador G.Parthasarathy
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/20100722/edit.htm#4
3. USA & India have shared ideals and shared enemies - By Ambassador Timothy Roemer on Barack Obama visit to India
http://www.hindustantimes.com/editorial-views-on/columnsothers/We-re-in-this-together/Article1-588203.aspx
4. Natural Allies: A Blueprint for the Future of USA India Relations - By Richard Armitage
http://www.cnas.org/files/documents/publications/CNAS_Natural%20Allies_ArmitageBurnsFontaine.pdf
5. 40 pages of power packed info related to Barack Obama visit to India: From Carnegie Endowment
http://carnegieendowment.org/files/obama_in_india.pdf
Enough to read through the next couple of days. Happy reading :) And those in Mumbai.. your Diwali is almost screwed, thanks to 'security' of this visit.
1. Sky's No Limit: Space based Solar power strategic partnership between India & USA ? Incredible details in 174 pages.
http://www.idsa.in/sites/default/files/OP_SkysNoLimit.pdf
2. New USA thinking on India: Coming Barack Obama visit offers an opportunity by Ambassador G.Parthasarathy
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/20100722/edit.htm#4
3. USA & India have shared ideals and shared enemies - By Ambassador Timothy Roemer on Barack Obama visit to India
http://www.hindustantimes.com/editorial-views-on/columnsothers/We-re-in-this-together/Article1-588203.aspx
4. Natural Allies: A Blueprint for the Future of USA India Relations - By Richard Armitage
http://www.cnas.org/files/documents/publications/CNAS_Natural%20Allies_ArmitageBurnsFontaine.pdf
5. 40 pages of power packed info related to Barack Obama visit to India: From Carnegie Endowment
http://carnegieendowment.org/files/obama_in_india.pdf
Enough to read through the next couple of days. Happy reading :) And those in Mumbai.. your Diwali is almost screwed, thanks to 'security' of this visit.
President Obama's visit to India
This video clip should put all the speculations to rest.
Fair reporting by CNN
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2010/11/04/ac.obamas.india.trip.cost2.mov.cnn?hpt=Mid
Fair reporting by CNN
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2010/11/04/ac.obamas.india.trip.cost2.mov.cnn?hpt=Mid
President Obama's visit to India
Obama's India Trip
Barrack Obama will be visiting India this week.Here is a good article talking about interests of both sides.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/india/101101/barack-obama-US-india-relations-manmohan-singh
What India wants
In the wake of an announcement of more U.S. military aid for Pakistan and revelations that American intelligence may have withheld crucial information about the November 2008 terrorist attacks on Mumbai from their Indian counterparts, India wants assurance that the U.S. is coming closer to the Indian view that Pakistan is at the heart of the world's problems with terrorism.
While that won't be forthcoming, Obama's first address, at Mumbai's Taj Palace Hotel, will set the right tone, and the recent U.S. announcement of a director of national intelligence review of the Headley affair suggests that the U.S. intends to put more muscle behind cooperations on counterterrorism.
Perhaps more importantly, closed-door talks between Obama and Singh on Nov. 7 and 8 will likely flesh out the potential outcomes of the drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan next year.
But symbolic gestures and closed-door assurances aside, India has concrete demands that Obama will be hard-pressed to satisfy. The two big items at the top of India's wish list are a clear statement backing India's bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, and some kind of official recognition of its territorial sovereignty ? an oblique reference to its border disputes with China and Pakistan. Obama will probably steer clear of the border issues, experts say. And while the U.N. Security Council seat may find its way into one of Obama's speeches, the expectation is that the U.S. president's formulation will be too weak to fulfill India's hopes.
"If this was said after due deliberation, with full knowledge of the implications, a lot of discerning people would see that as a major change in how the U.S. is beginning to look at India after the nuclear deal," said Sibal.
The carefully worded statements of U.S. officials aren't promising. In a meeting with reporters to outline Obama's schedule, for instance, U.S. Undersecretary of State William Burns would say only, "Given India?s rise and its significance, we believe that India will be a central part of any consideration of a reformed Security Council," continuing America's "natural candidate" line, which clearly stops short of pushing for immediate reform.
What the U.S. wants
America's ambitions for Obama's visit are smaller, perhaps, but would send clear signals that the economic and strategic relationship between the U.S. and India is growing closer. As a big win, the U.S. is still pushing for a revision of India's nuclear liability laws, which the U.S. nuclear lobby argues have robbed the 2008 Indo-U.S. civilian nuclear agreement of its significance by creating a business advantage for the state-owned nuclear firms of Russia and France.
To provide a much-needed boost for the American economy, the U.S. would also like to see India further loosen restrictions on foreign investment in multi-brand retail for stores like Walmart and finalize billions of dollars in defense contracts that would reportedly create tens of thousands of U.S. jobs. But here, too, little progress is expected.
Though India signed the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC) in October, its own Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages Act remains in force.
Moreover, with its failure to win compensation for victims of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy from Union Carbide as the backdrop for the negotiations, India appears both unwilling and politically unable to water down the 2010 law. As minister of state for science and technology, Prithviraj Chavan, told a gathering of reporters at the Founder?s Day celebration of India's Bhabha Atomic Research Center, ?We won?t accept any conditions and agreements will be on our terms."
For the other items on the U.S. wish list, there's optimism on the question of if, but doubts regarding the question of when. Recently, India's commerce minister said the 51 percent cap on foreign direct investment in single-brand retail (e.g. the Nike store) could soon be eliminated, but said that a "consultative process" would be required before the ban on investment in multi-brand stores could be raised to an investment limit of 51 percent.
And while Obama is expected to conclude a $3.5 billion deal to buy 10 C-17 transport aircraft from Boeing, no decision is expected on an $11 billion tender for multi-role fighter jets ? for which America's Lockheed Martin and Boeing are competing with European, Russian and Israeli manufacturers.
Manmohan, Obama hold meeting ahead of formal talks
On the eve of their formal talks, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and U.S. President Barack Obama had a meeting here tonight during which the two leaders are understood to have taken stock of bilateral ties and ways to push these to higher levels of strategic partnership.
Dr. Singh and Mr. Obama had a one-on-one meeting for about 25 minutes before the private dinner hosted by the Prime Minister for the visiting leader and his wife Michelle Obama at his 7, Race Course Road residence.
The two leaders are believed to have taken an overview of the bilateral relations, which have grown substantially over the last few years.
Dr. Singh and Mr. Obama, who will hold wide-ranging talks tomorrow, are understood to have discussed ways in which the two countries could raise their cooperation to higher levels, particularly in economic, security, agriculture and science and technology.
The two sides will be issuing a Joint Statement tomorrow which will outline new areas of cooperation at bilateral and multilateral levels.
Source:: LINK
............
Barrack Obama will be visiting India this week.Here is a good article talking about interests of both sides.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/india/101101/barack-obama-US-india-relations-manmohan-singh
What India wants
In the wake of an announcement of more U.S. military aid for Pakistan and revelations that American intelligence may have withheld crucial information about the November 2008 terrorist attacks on Mumbai from their Indian counterparts, India wants assurance that the U.S. is coming closer to the Indian view that Pakistan is at the heart of the world's problems with terrorism.
While that won't be forthcoming, Obama's first address, at Mumbai's Taj Palace Hotel, will set the right tone, and the recent U.S. announcement of a director of national intelligence review of the Headley affair suggests that the U.S. intends to put more muscle behind cooperations on counterterrorism.
Perhaps more importantly, closed-door talks between Obama and Singh on Nov. 7 and 8 will likely flesh out the potential outcomes of the drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan next year.
But symbolic gestures and closed-door assurances aside, India has concrete demands that Obama will be hard-pressed to satisfy. The two big items at the top of India's wish list are a clear statement backing India's bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, and some kind of official recognition of its territorial sovereignty ? an oblique reference to its border disputes with China and Pakistan. Obama will probably steer clear of the border issues, experts say. And while the U.N. Security Council seat may find its way into one of Obama's speeches, the expectation is that the U.S. president's formulation will be too weak to fulfill India's hopes.
"If this was said after due deliberation, with full knowledge of the implications, a lot of discerning people would see that as a major change in how the U.S. is beginning to look at India after the nuclear deal," said Sibal.
The carefully worded statements of U.S. officials aren't promising. In a meeting with reporters to outline Obama's schedule, for instance, U.S. Undersecretary of State William Burns would say only, "Given India?s rise and its significance, we believe that India will be a central part of any consideration of a reformed Security Council," continuing America's "natural candidate" line, which clearly stops short of pushing for immediate reform.
What the U.S. wants
America's ambitions for Obama's visit are smaller, perhaps, but would send clear signals that the economic and strategic relationship between the U.S. and India is growing closer. As a big win, the U.S. is still pushing for a revision of India's nuclear liability laws, which the U.S. nuclear lobby argues have robbed the 2008 Indo-U.S. civilian nuclear agreement of its significance by creating a business advantage for the state-owned nuclear firms of Russia and France.
To provide a much-needed boost for the American economy, the U.S. would also like to see India further loosen restrictions on foreign investment in multi-brand retail for stores like Walmart and finalize billions of dollars in defense contracts that would reportedly create tens of thousands of U.S. jobs. But here, too, little progress is expected.
Though India signed the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC) in October, its own Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages Act remains in force.
Moreover, with its failure to win compensation for victims of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy from Union Carbide as the backdrop for the negotiations, India appears both unwilling and politically unable to water down the 2010 law. As minister of state for science and technology, Prithviraj Chavan, told a gathering of reporters at the Founder?s Day celebration of India's Bhabha Atomic Research Center, ?We won?t accept any conditions and agreements will be on our terms."
For the other items on the U.S. wish list, there's optimism on the question of if, but doubts regarding the question of when. Recently, India's commerce minister said the 51 percent cap on foreign direct investment in single-brand retail (e.g. the Nike store) could soon be eliminated, but said that a "consultative process" would be required before the ban on investment in multi-brand stores could be raised to an investment limit of 51 percent.
And while Obama is expected to conclude a $3.5 billion deal to buy 10 C-17 transport aircraft from Boeing, no decision is expected on an $11 billion tender for multi-role fighter jets ? for which America's Lockheed Martin and Boeing are competing with European, Russian and Israeli manufacturers.
Manmohan, Obama hold meeting ahead of formal talks
On the eve of their formal talks, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and U.S. President Barack Obama had a meeting here tonight during which the two leaders are understood to have taken stock of bilateral ties and ways to push these to higher levels of strategic partnership.
Dr. Singh and Mr. Obama had a one-on-one meeting for about 25 minutes before the private dinner hosted by the Prime Minister for the visiting leader and his wife Michelle Obama at his 7, Race Course Road residence.
The two leaders are believed to have taken an overview of the bilateral relations, which have grown substantially over the last few years.
Dr. Singh and Mr. Obama, who will hold wide-ranging talks tomorrow, are understood to have discussed ways in which the two countries could raise their cooperation to higher levels, particularly in economic, security, agriculture and science and technology.
The two sides will be issuing a Joint Statement tomorrow which will outline new areas of cooperation at bilateral and multilateral levels.
Source:: LINK
............
President Obama's visit to India
Bu this time Gibbs would have realized that India is controlled by its babus who look up to their british written operation manuals and the grease in their palm to act.
In the name of security, you cannot take picture of dams or airport, but totally clueless of GoogleSatellites or micro cameras.
----
NEW DELHI – Tensions between the White House press corps and Indian security boiled over on the third day of President Obama’s visit, prompting press secretary Robert Gibbs to threaten to pull President Obama out of his bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Eight members of the press corps were about to be taken into a room at the Hyderabad House where Obama was meeting with Singh, when Indian officials tried to cut the agreed-upon number to five.
http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/1110/the_white_house_8_62d16db2-35d1-4808-a51a-60bd82bb4ea3.html
In the name of security, you cannot take picture of dams or airport, but totally clueless of GoogleSatellites or micro cameras.
----
NEW DELHI – Tensions between the White House press corps and Indian security boiled over on the third day of President Obama’s visit, prompting press secretary Robert Gibbs to threaten to pull President Obama out of his bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Eight members of the press corps were about to be taken into a room at the Hyderabad House where Obama was meeting with Singh, when Indian officials tried to cut the agreed-upon number to five.
http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/1110/the_white_house_8_62d16db2-35d1-4808-a51a-60bd82bb4ea3.html
President Obama's visit to India
moneyIsNot_funny;345792Indian media is lousy. Their expectations are rather childish at best. They just dont know how to take a mature and global view instead of being frogs in a well. I dont know why Indians and Indian Media wants constant spoken reassurance on the Pakistani front. Wanting and being satisfied with lip service is plain pathetic. Pakistani related changes are best done in deed, in private, behind the scenes by both Manmohan and Obama - no point in strutting out their stuff in public. Why is that girl banking on Obama to declare Pakistan a terrorist state?
Basically India wants to show off to Pakistan than be a global player or have the intellect that china is their true competitor. Like the republicans in US fighting cold war Soviet Union, the entire Indian Govt machinery fights only Pakistan.