When people across India would be celebrating the festival of lights Friday evening, US President Barack Obama would board Air Force One on his maiden trip to the country, which he says is a chance to honour Mahatma Gandhi’s memory, and learn more about modern India.

Accompanied by First Lady, Michelle, Obama, in fact, himself would be celebrating the festival of lights with school children in Mumbai his first stop on his three-day India trip that would also take him to New Delhi.

“To those celebrating Diwali in India, I look forward to visiting you over the next few days. And to all those who will celebrate this joyous occasion on Friday, I wish you, your families and loved ones Happy Diwali and ‘Saal Mubarak’,” Obama said in his Diwali greetings Thursday.

Obama would be boarding Air Force One from Andrews Force Base. Even though Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, would not be accompanying Obama on Air Force One, in a break from the past tradition, which officials said is mainly due to scheduling conflict, several members of his cabinet would accompany Obama.

Prominent among those accompanying the US President would include Tom Donilon, the new National Security Advisor Commerce Secretary, Gary LockeAgriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack; and of course, Raj Shah, Administrator of USAID. Shah is the highest-ranking Indian American in the Obama Administration.

The Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, would join Obama on the Delhi leg of his trip. According to a White House press advisory, Obama and the First Lady would depart Andrews Air Force Base at about 10 am local time (7-30 pm India time).

They would stop at Ramstein, Germany for refueling. His scheduled arrival is 12-50 am Saturday in Mumbai where he would stay at the Taj Hotel, which was attacked by Pak-based terrorists in November 2008 that killed more than 160 innocent people including six American nationals.

“By staying at the Taj, I am pleased to pay tribute to the resilience of the Indian people, while also underscoring our shared commitment to counter-terrorism,” Obama told PTI, an Indian news agency, in an interview early this week.

And on the eve of his departure, the Treasury Department announced slapping sanctions on Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), the two Pakistan based terrorist outfits, and Azam Cheema, the key operational commander of 26/11.