NRIs hail Singh's US visit as sign of India's rise

Singh was honored at a formal White House dinner Monday with pomp and pageantry befitting a head of state, and on Tuesday gave a rare address to a joint session of Congress -- something only a handful of foreign leaders have done since President George W. Bush took office in January 2001.

As US and Indian flags fluttering outside the Capitol underscored the warm relations between the two countries, many from America's sizeable Indian community glowed with pride.

Mohan Kumar, a tourist from India who paced outside the Capitol building hoping to capture the prime minister's arrival on his video camera, exulted that the Indian leader had received such a cordial welcome in Washington.