U.S. President Barack Obama said Tuesday he will work closely with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to tackle terrorism and economic recovery. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press)

Guests at U.S. President Barack Obama's first state dinner Tuesday — honouring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh — were treated to an eye-catching scheme of green and purple, from the green curry surrounding the prawns to the purple floral arrangements paying homage to the peacock, India's national bird.

Hollywood A-listers — Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg — mingled with guests with ties to India including spiritual adviser Deepak Chopra, director M. Night Shyamalan and PepsiCo chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi.

They sat 10 apiece at tables draped in green apple-coloured cloths and napkins, offset by the sparkle of gold-coloured flatware and china, including service and dinner plates from the Eisenhower, Clinton and George W. Bush settings.

Floral arrangements of hydrangeas, roses and sweet peas in plum, purple and fuschia were meant to evoke India's state bird. Magnolia branches native to both India and the U.S. adorned the inside walls, along with ivy and nandina foliage.

Such dinners are usually held in the State Dining room. But in an effort to show Singh how much the U.S. values relations with his country, the Obamas decided to serve dinner for 339 people in a huge white tent on the South Lawn, with views of the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial through clear panels.

Singh is a vegetarian, so the meal was largely vegetarian. The culinary offerings included potato and eggplant salad, arugula from the White House garden, red lentil soup and roasted potato dumplings or green curry prawns. Dessert was pumpkin pie tart and pear tatin; the pears were poached in honey from the White House beehive.

The entertainment included Oscar winning singer-actress Jennifer Hudson and Indian musician and singer A.R. Rahman, who won two Academy Awards for the music in Slumdog Millionaire.

Earlier Tuesday, Obama emerged after two hours of talks with Singh to declare that ties between the two countries will be "one of the defining relationships" of the 21st century, as they both work on issues of terrorism, economic recovery and climate change.

Singh and Obama said they agreed to "work even closer" on sharing information between law enforcement and intelligence agencies, while Singh vowed deeper co-operation to battle terrorism.

Obama said the U.S. and India share the "bold experiments" of becoming democracies after breaking from rule by a colonial power, and in modern times both have known the pain of international terrorism.

Singh said India and the United States are bound by common values of "democracy, pluralism, rule of law and respect for fundamental human freedoms."

The two leaders discussed several global issues during a joint news conference.

Obama, quizzed about the tense relationship between India and Pakistan, said the U.S. is not responsible for resolving the long-standing conflict but will do what it can to ensure both states feel secure and "focus on the development of their own countries."

''Our core goal is to achieve peace and security for all peoples in the region.' —President Barack Obama

On security, Obama said the U.S. and India are natural allies: "We both recognize that our core goal is to achieve peace and security for all peoples in the region, not just one country or the other."

The two leaders glossed over a dispute about commitments to reduce greenhouse gases in advance of next month's climate change summit in Copenhagen, but Obama said they had moved a "step closer" to a successful outcome.

India is willing to work on any climate solution that does not hurt developing countries' efforts to lift their populations out of poverty, Singh had said before his meeting with Obama.

Noting that the U.S. is India's largest export market, Obama said broadening those ties would create much-needed jobs in both countries as their governments continue trying to stimulate their recession-hit economies.

Obama also said during the news conference he would visit India next year.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited India after wrapping up trade talks in southeast Asia earlier this month. Harper met with government officials and business leaders in an attempt to strengthen Canada's trade relations with the country.

The talks included discussion about a possible nuclear co-operation deal, which could see a resumption of sales of Canadian nuclear equipment to India.