Hillary Clinton’s Trip to India —– How Meaningful?
Posted on July 21, 2009
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Which perfume do you use (wow! smells nice)
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived here (India) on a five-day visit to India. She kept a low profile on the first day of her trip. The two countries will launch a new chapter in their strategic partnership and deepen their engagement with her support. The former US first lady, Clinton, on her first visit to India as US’s chief diplomat will be spending the night at the Tower Wing of the Taj Hotel in an act of solidarity with the victims of the Mumbai terror attack on November 26 last. Clinton flew in shortly after 10 PM from Prague where her special aircraft had a refuelling halt after the flight from Washington. It is her first foreign trip since she broke an elbow.
Maa tujhe Salam (Saluting my Country oops)
A thick blanket of security was thrown around the Colaba area of south Mumbai where the Taj hotel is located and hundreds of security personnel were deployed to provide cover for the visiting US dignitary.Hillary is reportedly travelling with 11 US secret service men. Clinton will be meeting top Indian business leaders, visiting a centre of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) and paying tributes to martyrs’ of the 26/11 attacks during her stay in the city. The top politicians and industrialists have started building a very special informal relationship with the former First Lady of America who is also the most probable next President of United States. Hillary is reportedly travelling with 11 US secret service men.
The former US first lady is expected to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on Saturday. Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s office said a meeting between the two could be on Friday or Saturday. Hillary may also attend a dinner hosted by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Friday, where she is expected to interact with top Indian industrialists and political leaders. Pawar has invited corporate honchos like Anil and Mukesh Ambani, Nusli Wadia, Rahul Bajaj, Azim Premji and Laxmi Mittal. External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh and Finance Minister P. Chidambaram too are likely to be in his 54-member guest list. From Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party, only Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel will attend the power dinner at his residence.
After Monica's episode, Â I stay behind
Pawar, who has enjoyed the hospitality of Hillary and her husband, former president Bill Clinton, during his visits to the US, had a “very cordial and nice friendship” with the former first family. Natwar Singh would host a dinner for Hillary on Saturday. Hillary Clinton is expected to shop for her favourite traditional Indian handicrafts during her stay. Known for her taste for Indian food, Hillary is expected to relish her favourite dishes. Speaking at Delhi University yesterday, she joked about the strong cinema cultures in India and the US. “People watching a Bollywood movie in some other parts of Asia [may] think everybody in India is beautiful and they have dramatic lives and happy endings,” she said. ”And if you were to watch American TV and our movies, you’d think that we don’t wear clothes and we spend a lot of time fighting with each other.” A leading newspaper in India yesterday called Mrs Clinton’s visit a “charm offensive”. But she has also tried hard to dispel Indian concerns that the Obama Administration may not be as friendly to New Delhi as that of the former president George Bush.”I want everyone in India to know the Obama Administration is very committed to broadening and deepening our relations in every way,”
Oh! I have to shop for Chelsea
If we come to think about it are these visits of such high profile delegates are worth it? Or they are nothing more then paid holidays and some news items for the masses. Please send us your views on INDIANTVTODAY.COM and we will select the best three answers.
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