'Aap sab ko mera pyar bhara namaskar', says Prez Obama

U.S. President Barack Obama peppered his joint press interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi today with Hindi words, beginning with his greeting, 'Aap sab ko mera pyar bhara namaskar' (My greetings with love).

The U.S President, who shared a visibly warm camaraderie with Prime Minister Modi, also thanked the latter for the 'chai pe charcha' (discussions over tea) that the two leaders had on the lawns of Hyderabad House here.

"Thanks for hosting me at 'chai pe charcha'. We need more of those in the White House," he said, ending his speech by invoking a reference to 'Chalein Sath Sath' (Let's walk Together).

Later, when prodded by journalists over what was discussed between the two leaders during the discussions over tea, President Obama said the two compared the amount of sleep they get.

"During talks, we compared the amount of time we get, to get some sleep, seems Prime Minister Modi gets less than I do," said the U.S President.

"In addition to our strong personal friendship, we are reflecting the warmth and affection between the Indian and American people," he added.

Earlier in the day, President Obama held delegation level talks with Prime Minister Modi, hours after he landed in the national capital with First Lady Michelle Obama landed for their three-day visit of India.

President Obama, who is the chief guest for this year's Republic Day parade, will be the first U.S. president to attend the Republic Day celebrations tomorrow.

Obama, who visited India in 2010, is also the first U.S. president to visit the country twice while in office.