I don’t know if I shall be correct if I say that Obama may be creating a record of a sort to become the first President of US to visit India in his first term. Is it the extension of Bush’s endeavour?

Does Obama really believe that the time has come to launch “a brand new era, characterized by joint cooperation in innovation, education and other challenging new frontiers” with India? Is it because of the huge potential of India to keep American manufacturers of high tech sector engaged and profitable ensuring employment for its people? For example, India’s nuclear energy market is estimated at $100 billion over the next 20 years, when India wishes to expand its nuclear energy capacity from the current lowly 6,000 megawatt (Mw) to 35,000 Mw by 2022 and 65,000 Mw by 2032. Similar will be the potentials in aviation and high tech defence equipment.

American manufacturers had been restrictive in coming to India in big way and even in accepting America educated Indians in respectable manner.

The massive reverse brain drain is another example of the American apathy towards highly qualified Indians that are getting raw deal by the American naturalization department. The situation is not changing even after many American business stalwarts including Bill Gates have opined against it.

Recently Rupert Murdoch said in New York Forum: “We educate people and then we give them a ticket home. The best brains, who’d love to settle here and start businesses, go through our great universities, and then we say ‘sorry, you can’t have a green card’.

I know many who are in US for many years and contributing the best for the company they work, but their visa status makes their future insecure. I wonder how long it can go this way.

Can Man Mohan Singh or Krishna take up this issue and its human aspects with Obama or Hillary Clinton? Will Obama’s

US can’t talk of globalization and free market on one hand and practise restrictive measures on the floor.

However, the Indians of my generation expect US to change its track record of its support for all the wrongs Pakistan had kept on doing against India since both the countries got independence and that continues even today in name of Kashmir. If US wouldn’t have supported Pakistan for the support of Muslim world, India would have solved all issues with Pakistan once forever.