Blogdosts... I have gone back to the old format. Jai ho! Am looking for other columns that I'd written during my Monaco break. It's going to be a steamy summer in more ways than one!
Randy Andy ( Prince Andrew) is older and appears like a middle-aged traveling salesman ( well, at least to Delhi's miffed journos after he refused to speak to them). At the glittering soiree I'd mentioned in an earlier post, the Prince was minus any Showgirls ( no Marilyn Monroe clones that night!), but in terrific spirits. Must have been the Dom.
Last night at Mumbai's most loved, most coveted club, the posh and snooty Willingdon, I enjoyed a relaxed and delicious dinner with the children. And then came the pleasant surprise - we spotted Magna ( and my former) boss, Nari Hira having dinner at one of the tables overlooking the golf course. He was looking wonderful, and has promised to make a date with us next week. I so love him!
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While the Goa-ing is good….
“ Can you believe it? He came to this dinner by cab!Yes, he actually took one of our Mumbai taxis. Oh, that’s him… the guy in that simple, blue linen shirt.No body guards, no entourage.” The ‘him’ in question was
It’s much too early in the game to go gaga over Parrikar.That he means business, is evident. That he is well-educated (IIT) and erudite is equally obvious. As good leaders ought to be! Since that isn’t the case in India, a Manohar Parrikar attracts extra attention.Combine that with the silly ‘People Like Us’ urban syndrome, and you get the drift.Overheard that evening were comments like, “ He speaks good English! He is articulate and soft spoken. He doesn’t chew paan or pop paan masala into his mouth. Why, he even drinks beer! He is one of us.” The verdict was unanimous : Parrikar is kosher - a man of the world. A sophisticate. Someone who can be safely invited to a glamourous soiree without the hosts worrying about any faux pas being committed. Plus, he has a sense of humour - he joked about the billionaire quotient on the lawns. Manohar Parrikar was the surprise package for a lot of the invitees that night, most of whom had not heard of him till they arrived at the party to socialize and schmooze. That Parrikar was happy to be just another guest, and made no attempt to network with the VIPs present, added to his appeal. Some of the other politicos present must have felt diminished in his presence, since nobody bothered with them and their hefty bodyguards.
Shouldn’t Parrikar’s conduct be the norm in any case?Should we really be astonished to meet a regular, no fuss, no frills chap who is confident enough to discard outdated protocol?Isn’t it about time we dumped this ridiculous and very expensive drill? It’s tax payers’ money that goes into those massive security operations. It is we who pay for the half-a-dozen escort cars and cops. These extravagant privileges belong to a bygone era.Today’s leaders should be treated like professionals from any other field. They are there to do a job, and deliver results .That’s it. Why treat them like demi-Gods? If Manohar Parrikar behaved ‘normally’, we should not be surprised, nor should we applaud. If anything, we should insist on all the other high-and-mighty C.M’s behaving ‘normally’, too. We are equally to blame if we fawn and fall over backwards in their presence… using social opportunities to suck up to elected representatives, like they are royalty, and we their humble subjects. Manohar Parrikar has shown the way. It’s a class act worth emulating. Are other netas listening??
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