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Stars shine bright for Obamas' first state dinner

Posted by Nouman Chughtai on Wednesday, November 25, 2009


WASHINGTON — President Obama opened his first state dinner in the White House on Tuesday with a toast for India's prime minister in which he called the United States' relationship with India a "great and growing partnership."
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh returned the praise.
"We are embarking on a new phase of our partnership. We should build on common values and interests to realize the enormous potential and promise of our partnership," Singh said.

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After greeting Singh and his wife, Gursharan Kaur, at the North Portico, the Obamas and their guests, including prominent Indian Americans and a sprinkling of Hollywood moguls, went to dinner under a white tent on the South Lawn.
They dined on vegetarian fare prepared with the help of a top New York chef at tables decorated in gold, apple green and purple colors, with a mix of tableware from three presidential china collections.
It was a glittery assembly, a total of 339 guests; black-tie mingled with turbans, sparkly evening gowns mixed with bright saris.

The first lady wore a strapless, champagne-colored gown, embellished with silver accents and with a matching shawl by Indian-American fashion designer Naeem Khan. She wore large dangling earrings and an armful of churis, traditional sparkly Indian bangle bracelets.
Prior to the dinner, Michelle Obama previewed the table settings and menu. She compared the preparation work to that of a gliding swan. "We're kind of calm and serene above water — but we're paddling like mad, going crazy underneath, trying to look smooth," she said.

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The mostly vegetarian meal (Singh is a vegetarian) of potato dumplings with tomato chutney and green-curry prawns was served on gold-flecked china. Michelle Obama invited a guest chef, award-winning Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit in New York City, to help with the menu.
After-dinner entertainment was to include performances by the National Symphony Orchestra and Oscar winners Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls), A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire.
Those invited included Hollywood directors Steven Spielberg and M. Night Shyamalan; CBS News anchor Katie Couric and NBC News anchor Brian Williams; novelist Jhumpa Lahiri and Louisiana's Republican governor, Bobby Jindal.

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