W.H. Hosts First State Dinner, First Lady Dazzles

WASHINGTON - President Obama opened his first state dinner in the White House on Tuesday with a toast for India's prime minister in which he called the United States' relationship with India a "great and growing partnership."

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh returned the praise, saying Obama's election has allowed millions of Indians to dream of their futures.

Nearly 340 guests dined on the South Lawn under a white tent to honor Singh and his wife, Gursharan Kaur.

Guests included Hollywood stars, news anchors and favored politicians, who were to dine on vegetarian fare prepared with the help of a top New York chef.

Prior to the dinner first lady Michelle Obama previewed the table settings and menu. She compared the preparation work to that of a gliding swan. "We're kind of calm and serene above water - but we're paddling like mad, going crazy underneath, trying to look smooth," she said.

The color scheme for the dinner was gold and apple green (to reflect the Obamas' green ideals and the colors of India's flag), with deep plum, purple and fuchsia flower arrangements evocative of Indian peacocks.

The mostly vegetarian meal (Singh is a vegetarian) of potato dumplings with tomato chutney and green-curry prawns was served on a mix of gold-flecked china from the Eisenhower, Clinton and George W. Bush services, with flatware in a complementary gold color.

Michelle Obama invited a guest chef, award-winning Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit, the acclaimed Scandinavian restaurant in New York City, to help White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford.

After-dinner entertainment was to include performances by Oscar winners Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls), A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire), and the National Symphony Orchestra.

Those invited included Hollywood honchos Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen; directors Steven Spielberg and M. Night Shyamalan; CBS News anchor Katie Couric and NBC News anchor Brian Williams; Deepak Chopra; actor Alfre Woodard, accompanied by actor Blair Underwood; novelist Jhumpa Lahiri and Louisiana's Republican governor, Bobby Jindal.

Also invited: Indian American and Obama administration official Kal Penn, who quit his job on House and returned to his given name, Kalpen Modi, to work at the White House Office of Public Engagement.