This has to be a mistake. The president and Mrs. Obama are throwing their first state dinner, in honor of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and I wasn't invited. It's a mistake because, unlike the usual suspects and Washington swells who have been invited, I actually belong there:
I look good in a black tie in that way that only men whose ancestry lies between the Straits of Gibraltar and the Gangetic Plains can. Sorry if this offends you, but the truth sometimes hurts.
I know more -- a lot more -- of India than the vast majority of non-Indians who got invitations: I've been to India and not just Dehli and/or Mumbai. I'm talking harrowing eight-hours drives to Rishikesh and places in between. I've read the Gita, Upanishads, Mahabharata, and the Rig Veda. I'm currently working on The Hindus: An Alternative History by Wendy Doninger. I don't claim to know or understand India but I love it in a way those swells with invitations don't and can't.
For what I've read about him, the Prime Minister is shy and doesn't like all the pomp associated with his office. Well, I don't like it, either! That makes me the perfect state dinner companion for him. While people are doing whatever they do at events like these, he and I can have a quiet conversation about things that interest him. I can ask him what he thinks about Bollywood's current infatuation with his native Punjab. If I succeed in making him comfortable, we can perhaps liven up this sure-to-be-stuffy affair with some Bhangra.
This would be change worthy of the name. Mr. President, yes you can.
Comments:
Of course Bollywood is fascinated with the Punjab. That's the frontier. Where interesting things happen. No different then Hollywood being interested in The West
Posted By: jason taylor on November 24, 2009 4:04 PM
Yeah, the truth does indeed sometimes hurt. I was getting ready to check out of my hotel in Johannesburg when the staff asked me to leave as early as possible, and use the rear of the hotel instead of the front door. The facility was hosting a wedding, and the party insisted on seeing only Indian faces during the whole affair. Do you have *any* idea how hard it is to hide all the black-faced staff, in a South African hotel, even if you make them scurry to get the prep done early? The staff of Dutch descent could hide their lily-white faces elsewhere and do paperwork, but golly - what happens if someone spills something during the reception? So I'd make a lousy dinner companion for Mr. Singh, not only because I look terrible in a suit, but also because I ask obnoxious questions about what governments can do to eliminate racist attitudes among ex-pats. And in the awkward silence, I might bring up that new Morgan Freeman-Matt Damon movie, "Invictus" - followed by more awkward silence...
Posted By: Lee "Unsuitable" Quod on November 24, 2009 3:46 PM
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