Courting India

Still, it was some kind of a big deal for all around Mumbai and Dilli with wall-to-wall media attention.

But the Obama frenzy will barely have abated before the diplomatic season warms up again. Dilli is already looking ahead to the date with Chinese premier Wen Jiabao next month, to be followed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Russian president Dmitri Medvedev.

Interestingly, India will be the only country to have visits by top leaders of the P-5 (permanent members of the UN Security Council) in a single year, having already hosted British Prime Minister David Cameron in July. Clearly, it is business that is going to drive India's strategic engagement with the world. Dilli can't stop preening!

Bullish on silver
The recession clearly is a distant, fast-fading memory this festive season, going by the brisk sales of precious metals during Diwali. Aided by a zooming Sensex, the upsurge saw demand for silver, touch a record high, undeterred by near-record prices.

Though demand for silver and gold is usually heavy around this time of the year, consumers flocked to jewelry shops to splurge. Interestingly, of the more than 200 metric tonnes of gold bought by the government last year, more than 56 tonnes was sold last week!

Despite the lure of gold, it was really silver that truly sizzled this year, since it is remains more affordable despite the price surging to a record high this year.

Changing trends in Diwali purchases probably will ensure that silver will continue to grow in popularity in the months ahead.

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