US secretary of state Hillary Clinton is coming to Chennai on Wednesday to keep her promise made at the opening session of the US-India strategic dialogue in New Delhi that she would “speak at great length” in this Tamil capital about the US view on India’s role in the region and the world. That speech is reserved for a large gathering of “students, opinion-makers and other citizens of South India” at the Anna Centenary Library early afternoon, according to a statement from the US Consulate General here on Tuesday.
Clinton’s Chennai trip is considered important, apart from being the first visit to the city
by a US secretary of state. After meeting chief minister Ms Jayalalithaa at her office in Fort St. George early evening, the former US First Lady will drive to Kalakshetra, the famous centre of Indian classical performing arts close to the Besant Nagar beach, to witness Kathakali and Bharatanatyam performances, barefooted under a banyan tree. The trip to Kalakshetra, founded by the legendary Bharatanatyam guru Rukumani Devi Arundale in 1936, is “to get a first-hand impression of Indian classical art forms,” the USCG said.
Considering that the American auto giant Ford has its huge manufacturing facility on the southern outskirts of the city, which has now emerged as the largest automobile hub in India, Clinton’s trip to Chennai would also have economic and business implications.