No spicy food to 100 Banarasi Silk sarees: Lesser known facts about Obama's India visit

New Delhi: The  ‘most powerful man in the free world’ – the President of United States, Barack Obama - has set foot in Delhi to participate in the country’s Republic Day celebrations. Though the occasion has had high profile guests, the level of excitement this time is at a different level altogether. The excitement is not only about how the guest addresses the Indian audience; it’s about the person too. That the newsrooms or  social media are busy dissecting every minuscule detail – starting from Obama’s sore throat to the Indian dish he loves to the dog squad that forms part of his security arrangement – makes it clear. Here are a few details about Obama’s visit to India you probably missed. No spicy Indian food Though the American president has often spoken about his fondness for keema and dal, he may have to resist the temptation to try these out. According to a report published in New York Times, the president is suffering from acid reflux - as told by his chief doctor, Capt. Ronny L Jackson of the US Navy. [caption id=“attachment_2063135” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Obama in India[/caption] “It is a condition in which contents in the stomach flow back up from the stomach into the oesophagus, causing symptoms such as heartburn and sore throat,” according to Delhi-based Dr Himangshu Choudhury. “In such a condition, spicy food will only make his situation worse,” he added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked his bureaucrats to keep the president’s health in mind and prepare food accordingly for the ‘private dinner’ to be organised for Obama at 7 Race Course Road (Modi’s residence) at the Panchvati complex with select Cabinet colleagues and officials. No monkey business Anti-terrorist combat squads may be on alert, CCTVs in place alongside snipers and movement in the sky restricted, but the threat from stray monkeys in Delhi is a serious matter too. Notorious for biting people in the Capital, these monkeys are a nuisance, according to a South Delhi Municipal Corporation official who has been entrusted with the responsibility of capturing them. We would not want any member of the US President’s entourage to be bitten by a Delhi monkey, now would we? The government’s effort to capture them does not seem too serious though. There are thousands of them on the streets and only two monkey-catchers are deputed to get the job done. Wardrobe revamp for Michelle Obama The US president is not the only one to get attention from the Indian prime minister. According to an official in the Prime Minister’s Office, Modi has requested the Ministry of Textiles to compile a total of 100 Banarasi Silk sarees for Barack Obama’s wife Michelle. According to a report, each of these sarees will cost between Rs 50,000 to a few lakhs. They are being handpicked and the finest hand woven blends of silks, gold and silver zari will be presented as a gift to the president’s wife. Welcome song for Obama The US Embassy is no less excited for their President visiting the Indian Capital. From putting out tweets and rare known facts about him to getting couple of musicians to prepare a welcome song for him, the embassy is doing it all. In the video, several people welcome the US president to India in their regional languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Marathi, Punjabi, Assamese, Rajasthani, Haryanvi and even in Sanskrit, but no Gujarati welcome for the president. The video has already got more than 1,800 views and is doing rounds on social media websites. US Embassy’s activities on Twitter. The embassy has also been tweeting lesser known facts about the US President. We come to know that his favourite movie is Casablanca; his favourite musicians are Bob Dylan, Miles Davis and The Fugees; Spiderman and Batman are his favourite superheroes, and that he is also a huge fan of the Harry Potter books and films. They also revealed that the US Secret Service has code names for the Obama family. The president is called Renegade, Michelle Obama is called Renaissance, his eldest daughter Malia’s is Radiance and younger daughter Sasha’s is Rosebud.