    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book I)]
    [March 21, 2000]
    [Pages 507-508]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a State Dinner Hosted by President Kircheril
    Narayanan of India in New Delhi
    March 21, 2000

        Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister,
    distinguished guests. First, on behalf of the American delegation, let
    me thank you for your warm hospitality, and indeed, I thank all of you
    for making us feel so welcome.
        As you pointed out, Mr. President, it was 5 years ago next week when
    my wife and daughter first came to New Delhi. I confess I was a little
    jealous of them then because I wanted to come. And I am delighted
    finally to be here today.
        One of my country's most beloved writers, Mark Twain, once wrote
    that India, and I quote, ``is the sole country under the Sun that all
    desire to see, and having seen once, would not trade that glimpse for
    the shows of all the rest of the globe combined.''
        India has given profound gifts to the world for thousands of years
    now. Nearly half of humanity practices the four great religions that
    were born here, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism. The whole world
    has been influenced by Indian culture.
        Indian thinkers have enriched every science known to humanity. And I
    welcome the presence of so many of your scientists here tonight.
    However, I must confess there are many American high school students who
    wish that ``Aryabhatiya'' had kept his work on trigonometry to himself.
    [Laughter] The computer age would hardly be possible at all without the
    decimal system invented in India. And appropriately enough, 30 percent
    of the world's software engineers today are Indian.

    [[Page 508]]

        Every American who has been moved by the universal philosophy of
    nonviolence, every American whose life was transformed by the civil
    rights movement, owes a debt to India. Today I had the great honor of
    visiting the Gandhi Memorial. Two weeks ago, in my own country, I
    visited Selma, Alabama, which is one of the sacred sites of our civil
    rights movement, where the words of Martin Luther King and the marches
    of ordinary citizens both echoed the ideas of Gandhi.
        My country has been enriched by the contributions of more than a
    million Indian-Americans, from Vinod Dahm, the father of the Pentium
    chip, to Deepak Chopra, pioneer of alternative medicine, to Sabeer
    Bhatia, creator of the free-mail system Hotmail, the free E-mail system.
        Now, next Sunday when the Academy Awards are given out in Los
    Angeles, more than a few people, not only in India but in America, will
    be rooting for director M. Night Shyamalan and his remarkable movie ``The Sixth Sense,'' nominated
    for best picture.
        So we have gotten a lot from India, and we have neglected our
    friendship for too long. Today we are proud to be your partners, your
    allies, your friends in freedom.
        As a President who has the good fortune to have been selected by an
    electorate that casts about 100 million votes, I can hardly imagine a
    nation with over 600 million eligible voters. I don't know how you
    please them all. Or should I say, 60 crore.
        I didn't know what a crore was until I got here this time. Now I can
    go home and suggest to my Vice President
    that he have a new slogan: Four crore for Al Gore! [Laughter]
        We have a lot to give the world in the richness of democracy. One of
    the great things about a democracy is, it is a system which allows us to
    resolve our differences through conversation, not confrontation. I've
    enjoyed the conversation that we began here today. I am grateful that we
    found common ground. I am convinced we have laid the foundation for a
    new respectful partnership based on our oldest and most enduring values.
        In the days to come, may our two nations always remain examples of
    tolerance and the power of diversity. May we build societies that draw
    upon the talents and energies of all our people. May we preserve the
    beauty and natural richness of this small planet that we share. May we
    work together to make the difficult choices and the necessary
    investments, as Nehru once instructed, ``to advance the larger cause of
    humanity.'' In the spirit of that partnership and that vision, I ask you
    all to join me in raising a glass to the President, the Prime
    Minister, and the people of this
    wonderful nation which has welcomed us.

    Note: The President spoke at 8:55 p.m. in the Banquet Hall at
    Rashtrapati Bhavan. In his remarks, he referred to Prime Minister Atal
    Behari Vajpayee of India. The transcript released by the Office of the
    Press Secretary also included the remarks of President Narayanan.