Trump in India: A clichéd trip marred by back-scratching

Bollywood to bhangra, cricket to chaiwala to Chandrayaan, Diwali, Holi, the Vedas and the Himalayas were all part of Trump's speech.

What happens when the leaders of the world's oldest and largest democracies meet? They extol one another and indulge in audacious back-scratching in front of a record crowd in the world's largest cricket stadium. One might have expected them to talk about the virtues of freedom of expression, the privileges of suffrage, the popular accountability of government, or even the right of dissent and disobedience that accompany democracy. But that wasn't to be. On the menu, besides the now-famous broccoli and corn button samosa, was a Modi-fied applause by US President Donald Trump, which he launched into right from his first public appearance in India.
"To my great friend Prime Minister Modi - Thank you for this wonderful visit!" Trump wrote in a signed message upon his first-ever visit to Sabarmati Ashram, a memorial dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, the architect of the non-violent civil disobedience movement that formed the bedrock of India's struggle for independence. No mention of Gandhi in the note. Not even a footnote. In contrast, when the previous Potus Barack Obama had, in 2010, visited Mumbai's Mani Bhavan, a museum dedicated to Gandhi, he had paid a glowing tribute to India's Father of the Nation. "I am filled with hope and inspiration as I have the privilege to view this testament to Gandhi's life. He is a hero not just to India but to the world," he wrote.
That contrast was only trumped (pun unintended) by the clichés that marred the US President's speech at the Motera Cricket Stadium in particular and his visit in general. Trump played to the gallery at the stadium, his speech peppered with platitude and hackneyed phrases associated with India. Bollywood to bhangra, cricket to chaiwala to Chandrayaan, Diwali, Holi, the Vedas and the Himalayas were all part of Trump's see-I-know-your-country-so-well speech. Shah Rukh Khan's DDLJ (Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge) got a special mention, as did Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, Sardar [Vallabhbhai] Patel and, a reference to Gandhi in the context of the visit to the ashram. Of course, a trip to India would be incomplete without a visit to the Taj Mahal, and Trump did just that, along with the first lady (as did the first daughter and the first son-in-law). But will Trump rise above clichés to deliver 'substance' while on this visit? I won't be holding my breath.