Snapshots

Degree Of Difference
What8217;s in a title? Plenty, or maybe nothing at all. At a recent seminar in Vadodara, the topic of honorary degrees came up. Narmada Development Minister Jaynarayan Vyas, one of the more lucid and widely read members of the Keshubhai Patel ministry, said with a hint of regret: 8220;Some people can get a doctoral degree externally. I could not get it as a regular student. I registered thrice, without success, and a friend of mine said I wasn8217;t fated to get the degree.8221; Vyas may not possess a doctorate, but he has a post-graduate degree in civil engineering, another in marketing management and a bachelor8217;s in law. That, it seems, is enough to shore up his reputation as the State8217;s top technocrat, doctorate be damned.

Vajpayee8217;s Visit
Homecoming can be costly, as Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee learnt on a visit to Himachal Pradesh recently to inaugurate the Parbati hydel project. Prior to the inauguration, the local MP from Kullu, Maheshwar Singh, raised numerousdemands and pleaded for more money saying that according to a tradition in Himachal Pradesh, every time a son visits his place, he has to bring home something. Vajpayee, who described Himachal as his second home, responded by stating that the visits were now proving to be a trifle costly. As if holding out a threat, the PM added that if the trend continued, he would have to curtail his visits to Himachal. The State had given the BJP three seats during the last elections, and the Prime Minister had announced a package of Rs 300 crore. This time, the BJP won all four seats, and keeping in view the demand, Vajpayee responded by announcing Rs 400 crore for Himachal this time. But prior to departing, when asked about the date of his next visit, Vajpayee said: 8220;Ab to aane mein dar lagta hai8221; Now I8217;m afraid to come back.

Age No Bar
In this hi-tech era of electronics, the new Punjab Governor and administrator of the Union Territory of Chandigarh, Lt Gen J.F.R. Jacob, seems to be smitten by the latestin computer technology. Even before the techno-savvy Governor arrived in the State to take over his assignment, instructions were issued about his interest and a sleek Pentium III computer system was installed at the Raj Bhavan. Jacob enjoys his time on the Internet, especially sending and receiving e-mail. On being termed a computer buff, Jacob who is touching 80, says he is just a beginner. 8220;One is required to be updated with the latest in information technology to remain ahead in today8217;s fast world,8221; says Jacob. When you8217;ve seen as much history as Jacob, a 1971 war hero, has, you need it.

Seeing Red
At a party hosted by Ravi Dubey of the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai in honour of Shobha De for the success of her latest book, Speedpost, the dress code suggested was red, perhaps to match the book cover. Sunil Gavaskar, taking a break between test matches Down Under, was among the legion of the city8217;s glitterati who turned out at the Taj terrace over-looking the Gateway of India.

But unlike mostof the gentlemen who sported a touch of red ties, mostly Sunny turned out in all-black and was instantly put to interrogation by De. Now, we all know what a stickler Sunny was for rules in his playing days and that8217;s one charge he couldn8217;t let stick on him. He immediately drew Shobha8217;s attention to the buckle of his belt and there it was: a tiny red bindi! As a delirious De dropped all charges, Sunny dug into his trouser pocket and pulled out a whole box of red bindis which he had carried to lend to dress code violators. 8220;Team spirit,8221; he told De. Indeed.