WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Barack Obama’s first State Dinner in honor of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has created a buzz in the US media with some calling it capital’s “biggest social extravaganza” and others describing it as the “most treasured and formal honor offered to a foreign guest.”

Calling it as the capital’s biggest social extravaganza since President Obama’s inauguration, the Chicago Tribune says “the party unfolded as a feast for the eyes and ears. The menu was mostly vegetarian, a nod to the Indian leader’s tastes.”

“The evening was a potent mix of politics, diplomacy and glamor, with the administration’s favored donors mingling with lawmakers from Congress, cabinet secretaries, Indian dignitaries and Hollywood celebrities decked out in tuxedos and designer dresses,” The New York Times says.

Terming it as ‘A night to remember’, The Washington Post says “the amount of pomp was just enough to give rise to goose bumps but not discomfort. Every speech was spot-on eloquent, not just one for the history books but one that mesmerized the ear with its musical cadence.”

Noting that the state dinners are the “most treasured and formal honor a US President can offer a foreign dignitary”, the CNN says “the historic dinner showed Obama’s intention to signal strong ties with the world’s largest democracy.”

“President Obama toasted a growing US friendship with India at the first state dinner of his administration, an evening of regal pageantry and symbolic politics in a tent on the White House South Lawn,” it adds. (PTI)