Choppy waters

While there was no dearth of war ships at the five-nation Malabar naval exercise, journalists from the host country were in short supply. However, the participating countries 8212; the US, Japan, Australia and even Singapore 8212; 8216;managed8217; to squeeze in their media representatives to showcase the war game back home. A young naval officer, posted in the Andamans best expressed the angst of the entire Indian Navy: 8220;More of you should have been here,8221; he said as the meagre media party was about to leave the base to go aboard a US carrier, 8220;to tell everyone of what we have achieved.8221; Little did he know that the Defence Ministry8217;s elaborate media plans were shot down by an extra-cautious Government after the Left uproar over the nuclear deal.