There are many people who think Dr APJ Abdul Kalam was the best President to have never got a second term. And it heartens them that two weeks after he demitted office, his portrait still hangs in government departments across the country. However, Kalam’s popularity has nothing to do with this administrative aberration. Apparently, the photograph of the new President has not been dispatched to the government offices. For once, it’s not red tape that is holding up the replacement of the pictures: Pratibha Patil herself has not selected any print for use. The official photographer is believed to have already had a photo session with her, but nothing met with her approval. Last heard, the photographer was nervously running around, preparing for another session with the President. Patil wants the photograph to be just right before it is hung up in dingy offices across India.
