By Smita Prakash

Washington, Nov.26 (ANI): Presidents of both parties have used state dinners to reward donors, and Tuesday’s event appeared to be no exception. The invitation list included at least 28 top Obama campaign donors, known as bundlers because they assemble or bundle contributions from multiple sources.

Tuesday’s fete was the seventh state dinner in honor of India since a 1963 dinner hosted by President John F. Kennedy, and it came at a delicate moment in relations between the world’s two largest democracies, it concludes.

The Washington Post says that Obama’s decision to host his first state dinner for the Indian Prime Minister reflects “the high esteem in which I and the American people hold your wise leadership. It reflects the abiding bonds of respect and friendship between our people, including our friends in the Indian-American community who join us here today.”

The president said: “But above all, your visit, at this pivotal moment in history, speaks to the opportunity before us — to build the relationship between our nations, born in the last century, into one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century.”

“In Asia, Indian leadership is expanding prosperity and the security across the region,” Obama said, adding “the United States welcomes and encourages India’s leadership role in helping to shape the rise of a stable, peaceful and prosperous Asia.”

According to the paper, Obama’s statement appeared crafted to “assuage fears in the sometimes prickly nation that his administration is less committed than his predecessor’s (George W. Bush) to a strong relationship with New Delhi.”

Singh, according to the paper, used the opportunity of his meeting with Obama and other officials of his administration to highlight the fact that while “India and America are separated by distance, they are bound together by the values of democracy, pluralism, rule of law and respect for fundamental human freedoms.”

“Over the years, we have built upon these values and created a partnership that is based upon both principle and pragmatism. I’ve come today to build upon these successes and to strengthen our multifaceted relationship,” the paper further quotes Singh, as saying.

The amount of pomp associated with the many events linked to the Indian Prime Minister’s visit, according to the paper, “was just enough to give rise to goose bumps, but not to discomfort.”

“Every speech was spot-on eloquent, not just one for the history books but one that mesmerized the ear with its musical

cadence. The toasts were gracious, of course, but also took note of history and the changing nature of an increasingly interconnected world,” the paper said.

“To the future that beckons all of us. Let us answer its call. And let our two great nations realize all the triumphs and achievements that await us,” it quoted President Obama, as saying.

Singh, it says, did not come up short in reciprocating Obama’s warm welcome and sentiments.

He said: “Mr. President, your journey to the White House has captured the imagination of millions and millions of people

in India. You are an inspiration to all those who cherish the values of democracy.”

The Post quoted Obama administration officials as saying it was no accident that India was chosen as the first nation for a state visit.

The President’s Press secretary Robert Gibbs termed it “a show of respect for the value that we put on that relationship.”