By Seema Sirohi in New York

Mr Singh praised the US president's leadership

Mr Singh argued India's case as an attractive investment destination, a future permanent member of the UN Security Council, as a peacemaker with Pakistan and a trusted partner of the United States with the quiet confidence of a professor assured of his facts.

For six days in New York, he was the CEO of India Incorporated, a man with a plan for the country.

He came across as a problem solver with both President George Bush and President Pervez Musharraf, moving smoothly along the areas of agreement and eschewing any differences in public.

Mr Singh also stood alongside the leaders of Japan, Germany and Brazil at the first summit meeting of the G-4, the latest grouping of nations on the international stage, making a push for structural reforms in the United Nations.

All four countries want an expansion of the permanent membership of the Security Council and have publicly declared their candidacy.

Controversies

But Mr Singh's visit to New York was constantly dogged by controversies back in India, especially from the left-wing parties whose support is important for the survival of his coalition government.

They criticised him for following pro-US policies and canvassing for investment at the New York Stock Exchange. They derisively called him a "salesman".

Without missing a step, Mr Singh admitted that he was in New York to "sell" the idea of India, promote investments and pursue economic reforms.

He called it his "duty and obligation as prime minister".

He revealed that he had met senior leaders of the left parties before leaving for New York and told them what he was going to say and do on his first real foray on the international stage.

One of the main objectives of Mr Singh's trip was to allay fears among US officials and investors about the direction of the new Indian government's economic and foreign policies.

Symbolic

He sent just the right signal by lunching with top American business leaders at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

It was a move fraught with symbolism because Mr Singh is the first Indian prime minister to go to NYSE.

The prime minister said the task of taking economic reforms forward "that can and will be accomplished."

In his hour-long meeting with Bush, he reviewed the state of Indo-US relations and declared that the "best was yet to come."

India, Japan, Brazil and Germany have joined together as the G4

Later, in a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations, a prestigious foreign policy think tank, he openly said of the US, "We are on the same side."

He chose not to emphasise India's differences with the United States over the Iraq war, international trade negotiations and on what Delhi says are inconsistent US policies on fighting terrorism.

Pragmatic

Mr Singh's meetings and statements showed his preference for pragmatism over ideology.

"The United States is a global power. Our interests will not converge all the time but we can lay emphasis on areas where we can work together," he said.

The Indian delegation clinched a deal with the United States on the eve of Mr Singh's arrival which will increase India's access to US high-technology.

Phase One of the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership was signed and sealed in Washington, giving Mr Singh and Mr Bush something to toast over breakfast.

The complex agreement is a web of "mutual obligations" which will be implemented over time giving India access to US technology for its civilian space and nuclear programmes in exchange for promises to protect the technology from proliferation and misuse.

Mr Singh also met General Musharraf for an unusually long one-on-one meeting to discuss the Indo-Pakistan peace process.

Mr Singh seems to have struck it off well with General Musharraf

The two leaders broke the ice with gifts and Urdu couplets, sitting together for nearly an hour without aides or note takers.

The stage for the meeting was set two days earlier when General Musharraf addressed the UN General Assembly and refrained from any anti-India rhetoric of the past.

The need for a tempered speech was a precondition set by the Indian side for a Singh-Musharraf meeting.

Kashmir options

For the first time in the history of the Kashmir dispute leaders of India and Pakistan discussed the various "options."

There was every indication in New York that the two sides are willing to get down to the nitty gritty of considering solutions (to Kashmir)

Mr Singh asked General Musharraf to give him details of how he would like to approach the solution.

The day before Mr Singh's arrival in New York, a senior Indian official was quoted by a foreign weekly as saying that India was willing to consider adjusting the border a few miles eastwards.

Although the Indian government immediately issued a denial, there was every indication in New York that the two sides are willing to get down to the nitty gritty of considering solutions.

At the end of his trip, Singh told the Indian media that he will look at "all options" with an open mind. He called it a "new beginning".

General Musharraf reciprocated with an equally optimistic tone, praising the sincerity of the Indian leader.

The two leaders apparently discussed pulling back troops from Siachen, a glacier where Indian and Pakistani troops face each other in freezing temperatures.

Such was the chemistry between the two that Mr Singh announced with confidence that he would meet Musharraf in Dhaka next January during a summit of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation.