The diplomatic response about the neighbor that India views with suspicion was indicative of the fine line Mr. Obama has walked on the topic of terrorism while here. On Saturday, his first day here, he faced criticism in the local press when he paid homage to victims and survivors of the 2008 terrorist siege in Mumbai without mentioning that the gunmen were Pakistani or suggesting, that some groups in Pakistan pose a terrorist threat.

While the students at St. Xavier’s, a 141-year-old Jesuit institution in this pretty seaside city, were exceedingly polite to Mr. Obama  in interviews many said they admired him  they seemed unafraid to get straight to the point, even if Mr. Obama did not always get straight to his.

“Well,” he said, tackling the question about jihad, “the phrase jihad has a lot of meanings within Islam and is subject to a lot of different interpretations.”

He carefully avoided saying that he was opposed to jihad  which has several meanings, including both holy war and a personal quest for self-improvement  and instead said: “I think all of us recognize that this great religion in the hands of a few extremists has been distorted to justify violence towards innocent people that is never justified. And so, I think, one of the challenges that we face is, how do we isolate those who have these distorted notions of religious war.”