The Indian Prime Minister’s recently-concluded state visit to the United States, carried out with much local fanfare and global media coverage from multiple angles, is being hailed as an important new chapter in India-US relations. What has been particularly intriguing in public commentary on this subject is the political rhetoric of friendship. The US Ambassador to India was quoted as saying that it is not just a relationship between the two countries but a genuine, deep friendship that is a culmination of decades of work. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs also described the bilateral relationship as a friendship.