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AS Air Force One began its descent into Indian air space after a 15-hour, nonstop flight from Washington, D.C., President Clinton quipped, "I am glad to be arriving in New Delhi at dinner time. I love Indian food." The country's air force jets met the president's plane about 8 p.m. on Sunday, where a warm welcome awaited Clinton in India's capital city. Clinton stalks
carpet shops and tigers before
taking on PakistanWith a beaming Chelsea by his side, and a bouquet of flowers presented to him by Ajit Panja, India's deputy minister for external affairs, the president waved to the crowd then quickly departed for the Maurya Sheraton.
After resting in his suite for a couple hours, Clinton went downstairs to the hotel lobby to window shop. He spent 45 minutes in one store looking at carpets and discussing various weaving patterns with the shopkeeper. As is custom, the shop owner offered him a cup of tea, which the president relished so much that he asked for another. Clinton bought three carpets and paid with a VISA card.
Since Clinton had let his hosts know of his fondness for mango and mango ice cream, one of the best varieties grown in India, the "Alfanzo," was flown in from Bombay and served at a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Clinton left nothing on his plate and told the chef, "I have never eaten so much in my life. I don't know how I am going to be able to sit through the press conference now."
March 20 marks the arrival of spring in India. The day is celebrated as a festival called Holi, with people dancing in the streets, throwing colored water on each other and exchanging gifts in an atmosphere of gaiety and abandon. But Clinton had business on his mind.
So when the president decided to venture to neighboring Bangladesh the next day, Chelsea stayed back in New Delhi to celebrate Holi with her maternal grandmother, Dorothy Rodham. They flew to the neighboring state of Rajasthan, followed by U.S. Ambassador to India Richard Ceese, his wife Jacqueline, and number of high-ranking Indian officials, including India's minister for external affairs, Jaswant Singh. Chelsea celebrated Holi with Maharaja Gaj Singh of the former princely state of Jodhpour and his family.
Clinton's arrival in India on the eve of Holi is rich in symbolism. It marks the end of winter in Indo-American relations. Other than a handful of communists protesting his visit by staging token demonstrations, India rolled out the red carpet for the American president.
His smiles disguise concern, however, over increasing tension between India and Pakistan -- mainly the nuclear issue, and the demise of democracy and rising tide of fundamentalism in Pakistan.
THE day after Clinton's arrival in New Delhi, armed terrorists attacked a village in Kashmir, killing 36 Sikh civilians. India blames Pakistan for the massacre. With Clinton listening, Prime Minister Vajpayee responded to the attack by saying, "We have the means and the will to eliminate the menace." India's patience is obviously wearing thin.
So when Clinton helicoptered to the Rathambhore Tiger sanctuary, about 100 miles from New Delhi, on Wednesday in hopes of seeing the legendary Indian tiger in its natural habitat, he was probably thinking of the tragic murders in Kashmir and much more.
Perhaps he thought of another tiger, Gen. Perves Musharraf of Pakistan, whom Clinton is scheduled to meet when he stops over in Islamabad for four hours tomorrow. Clinton will probably tell Musharraf that he'd like to see the restoration of democracy, the disbanding of terrorist organizations, respect for the line of control in Kashmir, resumption of talks between India and Pakistan, and expulsion of the Saudi fugitive Osama bin Laden from Afghanistan.
But President Clinton will need much luck for a successful visit to Islamabad, at least more luck than tourist Clinton seeing the elusive tiger in its Rathambhore sanctuary.
Inder Kapur is a former journalist from India,
who now lives in Honolulu and writes frequently on the
Indo-Pakistani sub-continent.