PM hosts Obamas for dinner; top Bollywood actors, politicians invited

New Delhi: It was supposed to be a 25-minute pre-dinner meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama, but it lasted almost 50 minutes as the over 70 guests waited. The two leaders are believed to have taken an overview of the bilateral relations, which have grown substantially over the last few years. (Read: PM, Obama meet before dinner)

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hosted a private dinner for visiting US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle on Sunday which was attended by political bigwigs, business leaders, actors and sports personalities.(Watch: Obamas at 7 RCR for dinner)

The Obamas drove to the 7, Race Course Road residence of the Prime Minister from ITC Maurya where they are staying. They were warmly welcomed by Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur.

The guests included UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, senior Union Ministers Pranab Mukherjee, A K Antony, P Chidambaram, S M Krishna and Sharad Pawar, senior BJP leader L K Advani and AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi.

Top business leaders Azim Premji, Ratan Tata, Swati Piramal and N R Narayanamurthy were among the guests which also included Bollywood personalities Aamir Khan, Shabana Azmi and Javed Akthar.

Chess wizard Viswanathan Anand and Environmental Activist Sunita Narain was also present at the dinner.

Earlier in the day, Singh set aside protocol and went to the Indira Gandhi International airport to receive the US First Couple who arrived here on the second leg of the visit after a hectic 26-hour stay in Mumbai. (Read: PM receives Obama at Delhi airport)

Union Ministers who attended the event included Anand Sharma, Prithviraj Chavan, Salman Khursheed and US Ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer.

As Obama reached the Prime Minister's residence, 30 camel-mounted BSF personnel welcomed him by playing bugles and trumpets.

The personnel in their traditional uniform played different tunes which were enjoyed by the US President and Michelle. Inside the venue, the Navy band entertained the guests, even some  playing Bollywood numbers.(Watch: Prannoy Roy on the Prime Minster's dinner)

PM's Dinner for the Obamas

The guest list at 7, Race Course Road included Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's top cabinet colleagues, Bollywood personalities, captains of Indian industry and eminent sports persons. The extended guest list meant that the Prime Minister and his wife, Gursharan Kaur hosted  the Obamas on the lawns of their residence.

    * Sonia Gandhi, UPA Chairperson
    * AK Antony, Defence Minister
    * Pranab Mukherjee, Finance Minister
    * P Chidambaram, Home Minister
    * S M Krishna, External Affairs Minister
    * Sharad Pawar, Agriculture Minister
    * Rahul Gandhi, Congress General Secretary
    * L.K.Advani, Senior BJP Leader
    * Arun Jaitley, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha
    * Anand Sharma, Commerce Minister
    * Prithviraj Chavan, Minister in-charge of PMO
    * Salman Khursheed, Minister-in-waiting for Obama's visit
    * Timothy J Roemer, US Ambassador to India '
    * Timothy Geithner, US Treasury Secretary
    * Dr Srikumar Banerjee, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission of India
    * Azim Premji, Chairman, Wipro
    * Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Sons
    * Swati Piramal, ASSCOCHAM President
    * N Narayanamurthy, Chief Mentor, Infosys
    * Sunita Narain, Director, CSE
    * Aamir Khan,. Actor
    * Shabana Azmi, Actor
    * Javed Akhtar, Author & Lyricist
    * Vishwanathan Anand, Chess World Champion