Ceremonious, colourful welcome for Dr Singh in US

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived at the Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland at 1.02 pm local time on Sunday. The PM is visiting Washington, DC on a four-day State Visit at the invitation of United States President Barack Obama.

Chief of Protocol Ambassador Caprica Marshal, Joint Base Commander at the Andrews Air Force base Colonel Steven Shepro and India's Ambassador Meera Shankar escorted the prime minister and his wife Gursharan Kaur to the tarmac. 

 After Dr Singh stepped down, a US Air Force band played the national anthems of both countries.

Dozens of colourfully dressed children started cheering when Dr Singh stepped down and waved the tri-colour at the prime minister. Many Indian-American community leaders, Indian embassy officials and their families and children had gathered to greet the PM.

People started cheering loudly and greeting the prime minister with Jai Hind and Bharat Mata Ki Jai.

Accompanying the prime minister are External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, National Security Adviser M K Narayanan, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia, India's Climate Change negotiator Shyam Saran and Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao

The prime minister walked towards the crowd which had gathered to welcome him and standing behind a railing that bounded the arrival centre of the air force base, he shook hands with many of them, greeting them all with a traditional Namaste