Obama leaves Parliament spellbound

An effective communicator that he is, US President Barack Obama today cast his spell from the moment he entered the majestic Central Hall of Parliament with members clamouring to shake hands with him.

And he struck a correct political note in the beginning itself when he shook hands with Rahul Gandhi who was welcoming him with a namaste after he saw the young leader in the fourth row.

And he literally stole the show in his address to Parliament, peppering his speech with words like 'Jai hind', 'Bahut dhanyawad' and Panchatantra to connect with the world's largest democracy.  

As regards the larger canvas, Obama sang paeans to his 'hero' Mahatma Gandhi.

"And I am mindful that I might not be standing before you today, as President of the United States, had it not been for Gandhi and the message he shared with America and the world," he said.

In his 35-minute address, Obama also recalled Swami Vivekananda's address in his hometown of Chicago over a century ago where he had said that "holiness, purity and charity are not the exclusive possessions of any church in the world, and that every system has produced men and women of the most exalted character".

The first African-American to become the US President, Obama also paid tribute to Dr BR Ambedkar. "We believe that no matter who you are or where you come from, every person can fulfil their god-given potential, just as a Dalit like Dr Ambedkar could lift himself up and pen the words of the Constitution that protects the rights of all Indians", he said.

Obama received the loudest applause when he said "I look forward to a reformed UN Security Council that includes India as a permanent member".

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi as BJP veteran L K Advani and others were seen lustily cheering the dignitary.

His reference to 'bylanes of Chandni Chowk' also saw wide clapping from members particularly union minister Kapil Sibal, representing the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituency.

India's ambassador to the US Meera Shanker as also foreign secretary Nirupama Rao and secretary in the external affairs ministry Latha Reddy were seen sitting among the members.

It was 'first-come-first-served' for MPs as several of them were seen standing as the Hall was filled to capacity despite arrangements for additional chairs.

Former union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar, who has downplayed expectations from the Obama visit on the issue of terrorism, was seen standing and so were senior MPs Abhishek Singhvi, Sandeep Dikshit, Inder Singh Namdhari, Shyam Benegal, Jayant Chaudhry, Jyoti Mirdha and Arun Kumar.

Union minister Agatha Sangma, who arrived a bit late, was seen searching for a vacant seat as her father PA Sangma was occupying the second row being a former Lok Sabha Speaker.

Other former speakers present were Balram Jakhar, Baliram Bhagat, Shivraj Patil, who is now Punjab governor, and Manohar Joshi, who is now Shiv Sena parliamentary party leader.

The lack of space made union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, a backbencher as also former minister of state of external affairs Shashi Tharoor and Independent member Vijay Mallya.

Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi, the couple who was invited to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's private dinner to Obama, were seated together in the fourth row.

Sonia Gandhi who came to the Hall minutes before the US President was greeted with clapping from the ruling party members while deputy leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha Sis Ram Ola was seen arguing with Parliament officials apparently for a seat in the front row.

Devisingh Shekhawat, husband of President Pratibha Patil, took a seat in the front row along with Manjul Kumar, husband of Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar. Manmohan Singh's wife Gursharan Kaur was sitting next to him.

Sonia Gandhi was sitting in the front row along with former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, deputy speaker Karia Munda, leader of Lok Sabha Pranab Mukherjee and the row also had leaders of opposition in both Houses Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley.