The India Expert

Yesterday AP reported that President Obama had decided to host an “Official State Dinner” for the first time in his Presidency and that the chosen occasion was the impending visit of India’s Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh. Within hours, the announcement was published on over  500 news outlets (85% of them Indian).  Acceptance of this means a lot to Indian readers. Even the Los Angeles Times, my home town paper carried the story

Do you know exactly what a State Dinner is and how it is different from any regular dinner that the President may host. I didn’t , most Americans don’t and I am sure virtually all  Indians didn’t until yesterday (mental note to Gunjan: research further). But hey whatever it is, “this is yet another sign that India has arrived on the US scene”. That calls for a celebration .

BTW, here are links to a State Dinner held by Michelle Obama and the President in February 2009.  And here’s my home town paper the very same LA Times, talking about the very same event, months ago.

Never let the facts get in the way of a good story, regardless of the country.  India is the flavor of the decade.

Posted on September 30th, 2009 by Gunjan

California-based management consultant Gunjan Bagla runs Amritt, a consulting firm helping American companies to succeed in India. He is author of Business in 21st Century India: How to Profit Today from Tomorrow’s Most Exciting Market (Hachette Book Group, July 2008).