Obama bows out of India, next stop Indonesia
Tuesday, November 9, 2010, 9:28 [IST]
======================================================Air Force One took off from New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport at 9:30 am to head towards Indonesia, where Obama will continue the next leg of his 10-day trip.
Union Minister Salman Khurshid and Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, as well as US Ambassador Timothy Roemer, were among those who sent off the first couple at the airport.
OneIndia News
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9 NOV, 2010, 09.14AM IST,PTI
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NEW DELHI: Eulogising India's contribution to world civilisations, US President Barak Obama today invoked leaders from all walks of life -- from his 'hero' Mahatma Gandhi to Tagore and Ambedkar -- to drive home his point.
Obama quoted Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore, "Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high" as he recalled India's contribution to world civilisations and the message Swami Vivekananda delivered in 1893 at the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago.
"It's the richness of faiths celebrated by a visitor to my hometown of Chicago more than a century ago -- the renowned Swami Vivekananda," he said when he dwelt on the "very idea of India" -- "its embrace of all colours, castes and creed".
And as he spoke about his belief that "every person can fulfil their god-given potential" no matter where he comes from, he invoked the father of Indian constitution B R Ambedkar, saying "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...".
But most of all, his speech was dotted with references of Gandhi, the man whom he had hailed two days ago as "a hero not just to India but to the world."
"In the life of Gandhiji and in his simple and profound lesson to be the change we seek in the world. And just as he summoned Indians to seek their destiny, he influenced champions of equality in my own country, including a young Martin Luther King.
"After making his pilgrimage to India a half century ago, Dr King called Gandhi's philosophy of non-violent resistance 'the only logical and moral approach' in the struggle for justice and progress," the 49-year-old US President said.
He said he felt honoured and humbled to visit the residence where Gandhi and King both stayed -- Mani Bhavan -- and the memorial of the father of nation at Rajghat.
"We were humbled to pay our respects at Rajghat. 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.
Trying to reach out to Indian masses, Obama said, "We believe that no matter where you live -- whether a village in Punjab or the bylanes of Chandni Chowk...an old section of Kolkata or a new high-rise in Bangalore -- every person deserves the same chance to live in security and dignity, to get an education, to find work, and to give their children a better future."
NEW DELHI: Eulogising India's contribution to world civilisations, US President Barak Obama today invoked leaders from all walks of life -- from his 'hero' Mahatma Gandhi to Tagore and Ambedkar -- to drive home his point.
Obama quoted Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore, "Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high" as he recalled India's contribution to world civilisations and the message Swami Vivekananda delivered in 1893 at the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago.
"It's the richness of faiths celebrated by a visitor to my hometown of Chicago more than a century ago -- the renowned Swami Vivekananda," he said when he dwelt on the "very idea of India" -- "its embrace of all colours, castes and creed".
And as he spoke about his belief that "every person can fulfil their god-given potential" no matter where he comes from, he invoked the father of Indian constitution B R Ambedkar, saying "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...".
But most of all, his speech was dotted with references of Gandhi, the man whom he had hailed two days ago as "a hero not just to India but to the world."
"In the life of Gandhiji and in his simple and profound lesson to be the change we seek in the world. And just as he summoned Indians to seek their destiny, he influenced champions of equality in my own country, including a young Martin Luther King.
"After making his pilgrimage to India a half century ago, Dr King called Gandhi's philosophy of non-violent resistance 'the only logical and moral approach' in the struggle for justice and progress," the 49-year-old US President said.
He said he felt honoured and humbled to visit the residence where Gandhi and King both stayed -- Mani Bhavan -- and the memorial of the father of nation at Rajghat.
"We were humbled to pay our respects at Rajghat. 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.
Trying to reach out to Indian masses, Obama said, "We believe that no matter where you live -- whether a village in Punjab or the bylanes of Chandni Chowk...an old section of Kolkata or a new high-rise in Bangalore -- every person deserves the same chance to live in security and dignity, to get an education, to find work, and to give their children a better future."
(the economic times)
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President Obama's remarks will delight India, which has long lobbied for a seat at the UN's top table
It lauded Mr Obama for backing India's ambition for permanent membership of the UN Security Council.
Mr Obama also said the Washington-Delhi relationship would be one of this century's defining partnerships.
He has left Delhi for Indonesia on the second leg of a 10-day Asian tour designed to boost US exports.
In an address to India's parliament at the end of a three-day visit on Monday, Mr Obama backed India's bid to gain a permanent seat on the UN Security council and lavished praised on the country.
He also said safe havens for militants in Pakistan were "unacceptable".
President Obama's parting words to India: Yes, we can, headlined The Indian Express.
"If Bill Clinton moved the United States towards neutrality in Indo-Pak disputes and George W Bush removed the perennial hyphen between Delhi and Islamabad, Obama, the third US President to visit India in a decade, may have opened the door for Indo-US co-operation on regional security, the newspaper said.
The newspaper said Mr Obama "represented a new chapter and a different America, one that engaged the world on mutually acceptable terms".
US President saves the best for the last, headlined The Times of India, alluding to what it called Mr Obama's "emphatic endorsement" for a permanent seat for India in the Security Council.
Mr Obama "offered a vision that was truly post-Cold War, post the global economic downturn and post the two wars that flowed out of America's post 9/11 invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq", the newspaper said.
Hindustan Times described Mr Obama's visit as a "rediscovery of India".
"Obama is now committed to a strategic relationship with the world's biggest democracy," the newspaper said.
"With an ever expanding commitment from three successive US presidents, Indians can now be confident that their relations with the world's oldest democracy are moored in more than personalities and tied increasingly to a common destiny," the newspaper said.
The Hindu said that Mr Obama's support for a permanent UN Security Council seat for India "represents a significant evolution of American policy towards both India and the world body".
"Even if he has essentially handed the Indians a cheque that cannot be easily cashed, the US President's words will strengthen India's hand as it seeks to press for reform in the UN," the newspaper said.
There are currently five permanent members of the Security Council: the US, China, France, the UK and Russia, which have the power to veto resolutions. Some nations have criticised the format as not reflecting the 21st Century world.
Mr Obama has announced $10bn (£6.2bn) in new trade deals with India during his trip.
The US president is next due to visit Indonesia, South Korea and Japan on a 10-day Asian tour designed to boost US exports.
(bbc news)
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Indian media hails Barack Obama visit
9 November 2010 Last updated at 04:55 GMT
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The Indian media has hailed US President Barack Obama's trip to India, saying it had helped forge an "enduring partnership" between the two countries.It lauded Mr Obama for backing India's ambition for permanent membership of the UN Security Council.
Mr Obama also said the Washington-Delhi relationship would be one of this century's defining partnerships.
He has left Delhi for Indonesia on the second leg of a 10-day Asian tour designed to boost US exports.
In an address to India's parliament at the end of a three-day visit on Monday, Mr Obama backed India's bid to gain a permanent seat on the UN Security council and lavished praised on the country.
He also said safe havens for militants in Pakistan were "unacceptable".
President Obama's parting words to India: Yes, we can, headlined The Indian Express.
"If Bill Clinton moved the United States towards neutrality in Indo-Pak disputes and George W Bush removed the perennial hyphen between Delhi and Islamabad, Obama, the third US President to visit India in a decade, may have opened the door for Indo-US co-operation on regional security, the newspaper said.
The newspaper said Mr Obama "represented a new chapter and a different America, one that engaged the world on mutually acceptable terms".
US President saves the best for the last, headlined The Times of India, alluding to what it called Mr Obama's "emphatic endorsement" for a permanent seat for India in the Security Council.
Mr Obama "offered a vision that was truly post-Cold War, post the global economic downturn and post the two wars that flowed out of America's post 9/11 invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq", the newspaper said.
Hindustan Times described Mr Obama's visit as a "rediscovery of India".
"Obama is now committed to a strategic relationship with the world's biggest democracy," the newspaper said.
"With an ever expanding commitment from three successive US presidents, Indians can now be confident that their relations with the world's oldest democracy are moored in more than personalities and tied increasingly to a common destiny," the newspaper said.
The Hindu said that Mr Obama's support for a permanent UN Security Council seat for India "represents a significant evolution of American policy towards both India and the world body".
"Even if he has essentially handed the Indians a cheque that cannot be easily cashed, the US President's words will strengthen India's hand as it seeks to press for reform in the UN," the newspaper said.
There are currently five permanent members of the Security Council: the US, China, France, the UK and Russia, which have the power to veto resolutions. Some nations have criticised the format as not reflecting the 21st Century world.
Mr Obama has announced $10bn (£6.2bn) in new trade deals with India during his trip.
The US president is next due to visit Indonesia, South Korea and Japan on a 10-day Asian tour designed to boost US exports.
(bbc news)
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