A day to remember for NRIs
Manmohan's simplicity offset the pomp of the welcome ceremony hosted by Indian Americans.
On what can best be described as a "Bombay day" without the monsoon, the leaders of the US and India displayed their commitment to build relations unparalleled in the past with a genuineness one does not expect nor witness in Washington.

Hundreds of Indian Americans gathered on the White House lawns, along with hundreds of other Americans, in a welcome ceremony for Manmohan Singh that was full of pomp and circumstance, and offset by the simplicity and grace of Singh and his wife.
Manmohan Singh and US President George Bush used words of genuine appreciation and hope, witnessed by more than a thousand people, including nuns from the Missionaries of Charity in their blue-bordered white saris and Sikhs in turbans whose ringing cry of "Jo Bole So Nihal" split the hot morning air when Manmohan Singh came to the podium.
Starting with the honour guards and a gun salute, the ceremony featured contingents from the American security forces and army bands that played the Indian and American national anthems.
"I feel really proud to be an Indian American today," said Vivek Wadhwa, founder of Relativity Technology, who flew into the capital from North Carolina with his son at the invitation of the White House.
"This is real, genuine, not bogus. The two of them are serious about what they say. This is the result of all the Indian Americans have contributed to this country," Wadhwa said.
Bush probably increased his Republican Party support among Indian Americans when he acknowledged: "Our nation has ties that are strong and warm. These ties are enriched by hundreds and thousands of Americans of Indian origin who contribute so much to America's vitality."
He called India an emerging economic power and acknowledged its frontline role during the December 26 tsunami and in the fight against global terrorism.
Singh noted the "vast potential for our countries to work together on an ambitious agenda of cooperation".
Bhai Ranbir Singh came all the way from California and voiced the pride of the 1.6 million strong community when he called it an honour "for Indian Americans and particularly for Sikhs to have the turban recognised around the world especially after the backlash we have been experiencing".
"Prime Minister Singh inspired me when I went to tea with him in his house in 1996," said Gurcharan Singh, an official at the World Bank.
Past the blare of trumpets, the two leaders then went into the quiet of the Oval Office to put into action what they declared to the world outside.