These Americans are different. Whatever they do, they do it in style. I was also one of the 31 million who watched the inauguration (now, why do they call it so?) of Donald Trump and the way it was visualised and executed spoke volumes of their nononsense attitude towards life. There were demonstrations on the way. The President-elect played it cool. The media also didn’t put the megaphone into the protesters’ mouths.
There was no note of discord, at least on the surface. These Americans are different. They elected one man, regretted it and made no bones about it. Think of us for a change. We know the futility of elections even before they are announced. We are impassive. But our parliamentarians would make the maximum ruckus. Still no sisters’ or brothers’ march from us. After five years we would send the same bunch back. President Obama’s term of office ended precisely at noon. Trump took the oath of office, administered by the Chief Justice at 12:00 and then the new president delivered the inaugural address in his own style.
Their multiculturalism was also amazing. Trump had attended the morning service at a Church near the White House before proceeding to have coffee with the Obamas. During the ceremony, priests from the Church blessed the incoming government. Previously a Hindu priest had blessed the new president and that too in Sanskrit. Secular India would have cried foul if such a thing had happened here. At the end of it all, there was this seeing off of the former president. I sadly watched his dignified departure.
I am sure I was not alone. But soon after they left we had a glimpse of the sumptuous feast kept ready for others. We did not know that by tradition, the outgoing president and vice-president do not attend the luncheon held by the leadership of the United States Congress immediately following the inaugural ceremony. The new president and vice-president were the guests of honour.
They might have had no qualms about not including the outgoing president. A person who was with you from morning, who accompanied you on the most important day in your life, who was the First Man till that noon—he was bid an airy goodbye just like that, not even allowed to have lunch with the new set of the mighty. Being an Indian, my husband could not resist commenting: “They could have at least fed the couple before they left!” Athithi devo bhava. That’s India for you. We Indians are also different.
Lalitha Ramakrishnan
Email: maashu1@gmail.com