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Taming of the Eagle...

After a 3 day trip of India, I feel really sorry for Barack Obama. The most powerful man from the most powerful country in the world was beaten at his own game - showmanship and power play.

First came the negotiations - The Americans came thinking they were negotiating for the nuclear deal. NaMo was keen on enabling the 'Make In India' and 'Smart City' initiatives knowing well the any commercial operation of nuclear power plants would take more than 5 years and will depend on signing a deal with Japan. Co-development/manufacturing is NOW and so is the development of Smart cities. NaMo got what he needed now while promising a future to his guest

Then came thought leadership - Analysts predicted that Obama would use 'climate change' to put India on a defensive. NaMo changed the rules of the game from 'carbon credit' to 'green credit' -> its more important to generate clean energy rather than just reduce omissions. The Americans did not get any assurance like they did from China but ended up committing a few billions to promote green energy in India.  Be it women empowerment, jobs or healthcare... the NaMo had a better vision and roadmap than Obama.

Next came showmanship - From fashion to cleverly crafted moments such as 'Maan Ki Baat' or the 'Chai pe Charcha', it was always NaMo leading and a helpless Obama following. Think of this - NaMo's 'band gala' gets more talked about then even the first lady's dress....

So baffled was Obama by the end of it all that he started quoting lines from DDLJ and gave a sermon about religion tolerance. For Indians, its bizarre that a man from the west preaches religion as all the major religions of the world have taken birth in the east.

The man who landed 3 days ago came as 'Mr President', the one who goes back now is 'Barack'...

I do not thing any other country could have pulled off this taming of the eagle with so much grace.






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