Oops, I made a mistake

Nisha Biswal

Talk about a really awkward ''oops'' moment.

A freshman American lawmaker mistook two senior US officials of Indian origin to be Indian government representatives at a Congressional hearing earlier this week, leading to some mirth and a bit of ridicule about American insularity and ignorance.

The faux pas occurred during a House sub-committee hearing on US-India relations ahead of major bilateral visits over the next few weeks, starting with Secretary of State John Kerry's trip to New Delhi next week. Minnow Congressman Clay Clawson, a newly elected Republican from Florida, while addressing Nisha Biswal and Arun Kumar, two Obama administration officials who were testifying before the panel, kept referring to ''your country'' and ''your government.''

"I'm familiar with your country; I love your country,'' Clawson said earnestly, eager to show-off his knowledge of Bollywood and the Indian IT industry. ''Anything I can do to make the relationship with India better, I'm willing and enthusiastic about doing so.''

But apparently, he was misled by the names and skin color of Biswal and Kumar into thinking they were Government of India representatives.

Amid bemused looks from the officials and several others at the hearing, Clawson asked the officials if ''their'' government could loosen restrictions on US capital investments in India.

By then, Biswal had realised his gaffe and recovered sufficiently to gently tell him, ''I think your question is to the Indian government...We certainly share your sentiment, and we certainly will advocate that on behalf of the US.''

Clawson, a former basketball player who won a special election last month to replace Trey Radel, later apologised for his gaffe. ''I made a mistake in speaking before being fully briefed and I apologize. I'm a quick study, but in this case I shot an air ball,'' he said in a statement.