'Indians have done more for America'

By Our Staff Reporter

SAHARANPUR (U.P.), APRIL 8. Continuing his tryst with the real India that was glossed over during his Presidential visit, the former U.S. President, Mr. Bill Clinton, put another hamlet of the country on the world map today with a whistle-stop tour of Rampur Maniharan village here this afternoon.

For the two-and-a-half hours that he spent in this ``sugarcane belt,'' Mr. Clinton held court wherever he went - endearing himself to the crowds not just with his demeanour but also with his vote of confidence in the potential latent in India. ``No nation in the world has as much potential to do well and be prosperous in the new century as India. But it all depends on educating all the girls and boys in all the villages,'' he said after laying the foundation stone of the Hillary Rodham Clinton Centre for Multimedia Technology.

Stating that Indians were rated highest in terms of educational qualifications and income among the 200 ethnic and racial groups in the U.S., Mr. Clinton said ``Indians who have come to the U.S. have done more for America than America for them.''

`Unemployed' husband

This, according to the former President - who admitted that he was standing in for his wife who was busier these days - was why he had tried to establish better relations between India and the U.S. during his Presidency. This said, the ``unemployed'' man added: ``Our goal should be to provide education to all and ensure that Indians get the same kind of opportunities here that they get in the U.S.''

Landing at the Sarsawa Airport Base shortly after noon, the previous occupant of the White House drove to Gochar College where he laid the foundation stone of the William Jefferson Clinton Science and Technology Centre that has been set up by the Vinod Gupta Charitable Foundation.

Unmindful of the mid-day heat or the dust that was kicked up by the crowd that had gathered around both institutes, Mr. Clinton mingled with the people; shaking the hand that could reach up to him from behind the security cordon. He also spent considerable time going around the two institutes.

At the Hillary Centre - also set up by the same Foundation - he was treated to two folk dances. Though he did not join in the way he did at Nayala in Rajasthan last year, he tapped his feet. And, as always, he thanked the girls for their performance while addressing the gathering. Later, he gave them more reason to smile by meeting each one of them before leaving the institute premises.

Though no effort had been made to spruce up the village for the special visitor and few in the neighbouring villages even knew of the visit, when he drove out little over an hour later, Mr. Clinton returned with more than just the Gujjar turban and `nawabi' suit that were presented to him.

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