Salaam Obama Ji…

I have spent the last 3 days intently watching television and following Barack Obama’s visit to India. Obama has left me both moved and inspired by what I have seen. I know my comments and thoughts may not go down well with many who attempt to break his visit down into minute details and also look at his tenure thus far as the President of the United States. The truth is that as I have watched the television and heard so many panelists break down his every move and question his integrity, his motives and his presidency; I have come to realize something that I believe is such an important catalyst to the future we all collectively look at. We as a country and nation have gotten so used to pointing out the negatives that it is almost hard sometimes to be constructive let alone be positive.

It has been wonderful to watch and follow Obama as he goes about his schedule here in our Country and I was inspired to see a President unlike others I have seen in the past who came off as being extremely humane and sensitive in his ways. It was clear he was here to meet with the people of this Country and not just the politicians. It was also visible that he understood the concerns of those he interacted with as was evident when he addressed the combined houses of Parliament this evening touching upon issues that have had the population wonder what his agendas were.

Here are the positives that I see from this visit. I realize this is not the first US President that has visited us BUT let us attempt to recognize that this President has made an effort no others have in the past in the way he has approached this visit to India clearly indicating our rise as a Nation to reckon with. He made the choice to visit Mumbai first over the Capital Delhi and met with the youth as well as Business leaders and young entrepreneurs. Business deals have been made to the tune of $10 Billion and there has been employment generation as well from the alliances built.There are clear paths that have been paved on this visit by him that I believe shall build wonderful alliances in the time to come. It is visible that the United States of America recognizes the value India brings to the global economy and that partnering with us as a country holds a lot of prospect for both nations in the years to follow.

Obama is a great orator and he shall go down in history for the way he is able to talk and have the world listen. He is a man with a mission that few may believe or feel can be made a reality YET he is choosing to believe he can make a change and so I think a lot of us should learn from that.

It is so easy to question someone’s integrity but when you think about it-isn’t what Obama has spoken about and voiced what we as a nation believe in and feel is what both countries require in an effort to make a positive progress?

What will it take for us as Indians to believe? Have we become so used to negativity around us that we are not able to see the light in the tunnel?

Food for thought…