Pratibha Patil and Michelle Obama raise the toast at the Rashtrapati Bhavan banquet on Monday. (PTI)

New Delhi, Nov. 8: Among the tightly held secrets of the White House is Barack Obama’s golf handicap, which he declined to reveal to an inquisitive guest at the state banquet hosted by President Pratibha Patil tonight.

“It’s too high to be mentioned diplomatically,” the US President said.

Tact marked Obama’s interactions throughout his three-day visit, from speaking to students in Mumbai’s St Xaviers College to addressing the Delhi media.

But evidently struck by how India’s communists were integrated into the political mainstream, a curious Obama remarked to Sitaram Yechury that he was indeed glad to see the CPM leader because he was briefed in detail about how the process happened.

And the person who had enlightened him on this chapter of India’s political history was Pranab Mukherjee, who was seated at the high table with the Obamas at the Prime Minister’s dinner on Sunday night.

Mukherjee was given the same place today at Rashtrapati Bhavan with Patil and her husband, Obama and First Lady Michelle, Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and H.D. Deve Gowda.

The guests, who included a sprinkling of MPs and cabinet ministers, a few Opposition leaders, industrialists and editors, took turns to meet Obama and Michelle. Those who could, exchanged a few words with them.

Mamata Banerjee, wrapped in her signature cotton sari, reportedly shook hands with the couple without saying much.

At least one person was relieved that she had been economical with words. “She did not invite Obama to witness the ravages left by the Left in Bengal,” Yechury joked.

It looked as though Michelle and Sonia had coordinated their sartorial choices for the evening: Michelle was in a dark grey gown and without jewellery. Sonia was in a sari, shades lighter than Michelle’s grey.

Four guests signalled their nationalistic dress preferences: A.K. Antony and Deve Gowda showed up in the south Indian “veshti” and shirt/kurta; Mulayam Singh Yadav in his dhoti-kurta and Rahul Gandhi in pyjama-kurta and open sandals.

Mulayam reportedly greeted the Obamas starry-eyed, unable to get over the few Hindi words the US President threw into his speech in Parliament.

The power couples of the evening were Mukesh and Nita Ambani, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw and her husband, and the Analjit Singhs of Max Medicare, the last ranking as a major sunrise sector in India’s overseas collaborations.

A few others, including Sunil Bharti Mittal, Shashi Ruia, Rahul Bajaj and Subrata Roy, came alone.

Some of the guests said they were “pleasantly surprised” to sample the “100 per cent” Indian fare — a fusion of Punjabi, Avadhi and Mughlai cuisines — considering the complaints that had tumbled in at earlier dos about the “vapid” steamed and stir-fried veggies and watery “dals”.

The reason: the catering was outsourced to Delhi’s well-known chef, Marut Sikka, a favourite of Sonia’s. The starters included Sikka’s trademark spinach “papri chaat” that he reportedly unearthed from Varanasi’s “gallis”.

It seems the Obamas were comfortable with the fare and even ate samosas with their fingers.