Rashtrapati Bhavan ready for Monday's big event

There are more than 3,000 people on the guest list. The BJP is all set to stage a grand show for Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony on Monday.

It appears as if preparations are in full swing for a big fat Punjabi shaadi at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

More than 3,000 guests have been invited for Monday's grand ceremony -- Narendra Modi's swearing-in as the prime minister of India -- at the forecourt of the presidential palace.

The only worry is that rains may dampen spirits at the event. In the event of unexpected showers, 850 VVIPs on the guest list will be ushered inside Rashtrapati Bhavan; the other guests will be stranded outside.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's senior general secretaries J P Nadda, Ananth Kumar and Ramlal are coordinating with Rashtrapati Bhavan officials to stage a grand show like never before.

Delhi is reeling under temperatures of 38 degrees Celsius. The swearing-in ceremony is at 6 pm on Monday evening, so no shamianas will be erected for the event.

It will be an open-air ceremony, which will provide for a perfect photo-op for Modi with President Pranab Mukherjee against the backdrop of the majestic red-stone structure.

Soon after Modi takes the oath, the new prime minister will interact with his guests from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation nations.

The expense of the event would run into hundreds of thousands of rupees, as the best arrangements are being made. The event will be a treat for shutterbugs -- Rashtrapati Bhavan looks magnificent from every angle.

Image: Narendra Modi will be sworn in as prime minister at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday, May 26, 2014. Photograph: Vijay Mathur/Reuters