Says Narayanappa, who spent two long months weaving silk garments to present the first couple with, had they come to the city
Says Narayanappa, who spent two long months weaving silk garments to present the first couple with, had they come to the cityUS President Barack Obama might have broken hearts in Bangalore by giving the city a miss during his India visit between November 7 and 9.
But the weaver couple that was waiting for him with a special gift now hopes that the state government will do its bit to help them out.
For R Narayanappa, who was ready to gift the lightest silken cloth to the US president and his wife Michelle, it came as a shock that Bangalore was not included in Obama's itinerary.
As soon as he heard the news, he started working on a 'plan B' to meet the first couple, and present the gift.
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| R Narayanappa with wife Kamalamma at their residence. |
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"I am really disappointed, but something has to be done," said Narayanappa. "I am banking on the state government, and I am sure our leaders and officials will help me."
As MiD DAY had reported last week, Narayanappa and his wife Kamalamma have woven a 6-yard silk sari weighing 30 gm that can be folded into a matchbox, along with a stole and scarf, weighing 15 gm each, for the first couple.
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He has spoken to Lakshminarayana, Chairman, Karnakata Handloom Corporation, who has assured him of government's support, while several experts are guiding him to official channels.
"Narayanappa holds a lot of respect in the weaving community and we must help him fulfilling his dream," said Lakshminarayana. "I ensure that the corporation will play its role in this."
Dr TS Somashekar, former director, Central Silk Board, who has guided Narayanappa in preparing the material, had planned to meet Obama in Bangalore and now he is looking for an alternative way.
"I have spoken to the state silk minister Venakaramanappa, who had agreed to mediate if Obama had visited Bangalore," said he. "Now we will have to re-work the plan to figure out whether to meet him in Mumbai or in Delhi."
As per the tentative schedule, Obama will land in Delhi on November 7, and participate in a series of engagements the next day.
He will address a joint session of Parliament on November 9, and visit the Taj Mahal in Agra that afternoon.
His next point of call will be Mumbai where he will stay at the Taj Hotel that had come under 26/11-terror attacks. From Mumbai he will leave for South Korea to attend the G-20 summit.
It sector reactsFollowing the IT industry's concerns over Ohio government's decision to prohibit state agencies from outsourcing, Wipro, the third biggest IT firm in the country, said that it was not worried as the move would not impact the business directly.
Rajan Kohli, chief marketing officer, Wipro, said, "Wipro believes in the fundamental strength of the US economy, and has invested in expanding our presence there through partnerships with states such as Georgia, where we have built a development center in Atlanta."
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He added, "We have also been focusing our investments and efforts in developing solutions for the government segment to help them become more effective and efficient.
These moves and announcements seem counterproductive to the government's effort to reduce the deficit."
