Rashtrapati Bhavan gears up to host state banquet
THE HALL CAN SEAT UP TO 104. WITH THE US DELEGATION, EMBASSY OFFICIALS AND KEY INDIAN FUNCTIONARIES, IT’LL LEAVE VERY FEW SEATS FOR OTHERS
nNEWDELHI: Preparations are in full swing at Rashtrapati Bhavan for the upcoming state banquet for US President Donald Trump on February 25, which will be attended by a very select list of Indians, comprising ministers, bureaucrats, businesspeople, artists, and others.
People familiar with the matter said that the banquet will happen at the smaller Banquet Hall in Rashtrapati Bhavan and not the larger Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre because both New Delhi and Washington wanted the dinner to be an exclusive affair -- and also end on time. The US President and the First Lady are scheduled to fly out of India at 10pm.
The hall can seat up to 104, the people added, speaking on condition of anonymity. With the visiting delegation, US embassy officials, and key Indian functionaries and officials, that will leave very few seats for others, the people said. It will be a very “exclusive” gathering, they added.
“There is limited space in the Banquet Hall and moreover there will be extremely tight security measures in place. After all, it’s the dinner for the American presindian ident,” said one of the officials.
The Banquet Hall, also known as the State Dining Room, is 104 feet long, 34 feet wide and 35 feet high, overlooks the fabled Mughal Garden (which will be lit up during the dinner) and decorated with rare Burmese teak panels on the walls. The floors are plastered with grey Kota stone and white Makrana marble. According to the officials, the advance security party for the US President has already arrived at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and is overseeing the preparations. While work is going on in full swing, officials point out that the final plan including the food menu is subject to last-minute changes. Only vegetarian food will be served, they said, and it isn’t clear whether there will be champagne.
The Banquet Hall also sports life-size portraits of former presidents Rajendra Prasad, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Zakir Husain, VV Giri, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Sanjeeva Reddy, Giani Zail Singh, R Venkataraman, Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma and KR Narayanan. The portraits in oil-paint, are embellished with gold leaf frames, according to a Rashtrapati Bhavan communiqué. There is also a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi at the end of the Hall.
As the guest list had to be kept short, officials indicated that even all ministers might not be accommodated in the main dining area. Some of India’s leading industrialists and artists are likely to be invited to the event.
President Trump and his entourage will land in India next Monday, February 24, for a packed but highly-anticipated maiden visit. Accompanying the President, will be three secretaries: Steve Mnuchin of treasury, Wilbur Ross of commerce and Secretary Dan Brouillette of energy. His son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner is also expected to be part of the delegation.
The Banquet Hall is the same venue where Dwight D Eisenhower, the first US president to visit India in December 1959, was hosted for the ceremonial dinner.