President Barack Hussein Obama

The election of Barack Hussein Obama as the 44th president of the United States is a remarkable event in its symbolism and, in half measure, in substance as well.

As the entire world now acknowledges, with the rise to presidency of an African-American, the US electorate has finally shaken off a major prejudice against “people of colour”. History has demonstrated that while such events may only be symbols, they are nevertheless important. In the gushing praise even in India for this tearing down of the colour barrier at the White House, Indians have not recalled both the importance and limits of symbolism as in the prime ministership of Indira Gandhi (which did little to change the status of women), and the presidencies of K R Narayanan, Zakir Hussain and Abdul Kalam (which did not change the position of dalits and Muslims).