Washington, DC:
Washington's streets are in a flutter with the colours orange, white and green to mark the first state visit by the Indian Prime Minister Mammohan Singh after the Obama administration assumed power.
"It does not matter that this is the first state visit. What matters to us is that the US and India are on the same page. There were some fears in India that the Obama administration may not be as enthusiastic about India as the previous one. It is important to find that out clarify those matters and set a new agenda for Indo-US relations," says C. Raja Mohan, a strategic affairs analyst.
Obama had a rocky start to relations with New Delhi.
During his campaign, he attacked Hilary Clinton for supporting outsourcing to India by US companies.
He later went on to say that he would focus on resolving the Kashmir dispute. The US has since backed down, saying this is an internal matter between India and Pakistan.
Last week, Obama ruffled feathers in New Delhi again by implying that China should assume the role of monitor in South Asia.
Embroiled in two wars, Obama has had to be highly accommodating of Pakistan, whose support he needs if the US is to defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan.
"Pakistan is not in the G-20. Nobody talks about a UNSC seat for Pakistan, nobody talks about Pakistan influencing the course of economic and financial affairs around the world. So India's choices matter greatly so intellectually and also operationally it is high time to think about India as more than just a South Asia power," says Evan Feigenbaum of the Council on Foreign Relations.
According to sources, India will raise its concerns about Pakistan during talks on regional security with President Obama. Among the key worries is the misuse of US funds to Pakistan.
Safety of Pakistan's nuclear weapons is also a matter of concern and they must not be allowed to fall into wrong hands.
India also feels that Pakistan has not been forthcoming on whether it is following leads in the Headley-Rana case.
Indo-US relations are the one area where President Bush set the bar very high. The nuclear deal was a groundbreaking initiative and while nobody is expecting President Obama to come up with something comparable, analysts will be watching for signs from the President of a meaningful commitment to build on the foundation that was laid by his predecessor.