india

Updated: Feb 22, 2020 21:47 IST

US President Donald Trump will be handed over a 12-inch silver key upon his arrival at the Agra airport on February 24 before he heads to visit the Taj Mahal.

The symbolic gesture, made to a visiting head of a state, signifies that the guest can open the door of the city with the key before entering. Agra mayor Naveen Jain will have the honour of handing over the key to Trump and he would be the first city mayor to do so.

“We have got a 12-inch long silver key prepared in Delhi. On one side, it has an impression of the Taj Mahal and the other side has the inscription, ‘Welcome to Agra’. This is to portray that the guest is welcome to visit any place in the city he likes,” Jain said.

He said the city was doing its best to provide a memorable welcome to the US President and his family.

“The city is being beautified and one of the special attractions would be tricolour lights wrapped around electric poles. It would be quite a sight for them while returning from the Taj in the evening.”

Jain is excited over the prospect of meeting the head of the state of the most powerful country but apprehensions remain.

Former Agra Mayor Baby Rani Maurya, who is now the Governor of Uttarakhand, was not allowed to carry the key with her when she went to receive Bill Clinton, the then US President, in the year 2000 at the airport due to security concerns.

“We were told not to carry any object with us, so the idea of offering the keys was dropped. It was an exciting moment for me when I received a phone call from the White House and was invited to the airport. US President Bill Clinton met me with warmth,” recalls Baby Rani Maurya.

However, another mayor of Agra Indrajeet Arya was not so lucky. He was all prepared to welcome US President Barack Obama, but his visit to the Taj Mahal was called-off at the last moment in 2015.

“But luck favoured me later and I got an opportunity in the same year to meet Obama at the White House on October 15, 2015. This happened after I became a member of the World Mayor Council which travelled to the USA,” Arya recalled.

So now, Agra eagerly awaits February 24 when mayor Naveen Jain would be at the airport in traditional black suit with a red gown worn over it, carrying the silver key of the city to hand it to the US President.