A new guest wing rises in Rashtrapati Bhavan

Rashtrapati Bhavan will showcase India's hospitality at its very best when the doors of its gleaming new guest wing are thrown open tomorrow for foreign dignitaries after it remained unused for over two decades.
Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his Queen will be the first guests to stay at the brightly decked up refurbished suites in the sprawling Presidential Estate tomorrow to get a taste of the country's fabled 'Atithi Devobhava' culture.
The guest wing has been restored to its old glory at the special initiative of President Pranab Mukherjee. The Rashtrapati Bhavan was formally inaugurated in 1931.

The King is on a state visit to India from December 6 and will stay in the VVIP suite of the wing for five days which is adorned with heavy panelling of exquisite wood, beautiful drapes and classic wall paintings, all brought out from the stores of the Presidential mansion.
According to available records, which are being verified by the President's Secretariat, the then Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, who visited Delhi in 1986, was among the last of foreign dignitaries to stay in the guest wing.
Since then, this section was locked until Mukherjee decided to give the guest wing a new lease of life.

"The refurbishing of this wing has been done entirely from the material that was lying unused in dust in the Toshkhana of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Old carpets were dusted, the paintings and presents that were gifted to successive Presidents were cleaned and they now adorn the interiors of this historic section," Joint Secretary in the President's Secretariat Gaitri Kumar told reporters today.
The designs in the rooms have been done in such a manner that it reflects contemporary Indian history.
"The President gave us a mandate that this wing should be restored to its old historical elegance so that visiting dignitaries could stay in the Rashtrapati Bhavan rather than staying out. His idea is that every section of this building should be put to use, be it for public or for dignitaries," Omita Paul, Secretary to the President, said.