Unlike the rest of glitzy America, both the White House and the Congressional hall, where Dr Singh spoke, bore the badge of history.

The Congressional ceiling had references to every state in the Union, the proceedings were conducted under a glass ceiling with the American eagle engraved on it. The galleries were old style, with rather uncomfortable seats. The seats on which the Senators and Congressmen sat didn't look too comfortable either.

I couldn't help getting a feeling of deja vu, that I was watching a show at Mumbai's Shanmukhananda Hall, the way it was before it burnt down; I bet the Music Academy hall in Chennai is no different.

The media was perched on kind of bar stools, flanked by the visitors' galleries on the other three sides.

While I spotted hotelier and Clinton pal Sant Singh Chatwal and Republican Indian-American stalwart Dr R Vijayanagar in the same gallery, I couldn't keep my gaze off the gallery to our left which had some of the Indian members of the CEOs Forum, set up on Monday. Apollo Hospitals Chairman Dr Pratap Reddy, ITC Chairman Yogi Deveshwar, Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani in one row. Sitting next to Nandan was Mumbai-born Ashley Tellis, whose report on India as a global power is creating waves. Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani, HDFC Chairman Deepak Parekh, Bharat Forge Chairman Baba Kalyani, Tata Sons patriarch Ratan Tata, Max India Chairman Analjit Singh in the row below. And sitting next to Singh were the Hinduja brothers, Srichand and Gopichand. "We came here on business two days ago," Gopichand told my senior colleague Aziz Haniffa (the finest reporter in the Indian-American media, I must add) after the event, "What a speech! He covered everything."

The other person I kept returning to was Gursharan Kaur, dressed in a nice cream Kanjeevaram sari with a red border. Like her husband, her face rarely registers any emotion. But on Tuesday, one saw a trace of nervous anticipation before Dr Singh began speaking, and then more than a hint of pride as the gathering richly applauded his speech. Occasionally, she turned to K Natwar Singh, our flamboyant foreign minister, who was always willing to provide amplification. I can wager the erudite Kunwarsaab knows the process of the US Congress better than some of those who adorn it.

Quaintly, the prime minister's private secretary Vikram Doraiswami and D B Venkatesh Varma, director in the Prime Minister's Office -- both young IFS officers -- seemed to keep score of which portions of Dr Singh's speech had struck a chord with a rather discerning audience.

Also Read: What Dr Singh told Congress

Complete Coverage: History in the Making