Snapshots

But Farooq-watchers are used to seeing his thoughts contradicting his deeds. Never one to spare the bureaucracy for its profligate ways, or the Centre for being responsible for the state8217;s financial stringency, the CM was the first to host a lavish Iftar party. Naturally, some of his senior ministers followed his example, and no one bought the line that the CM and his ministers had picked up the tab.

Musical Mamata

There8217;s more on MamataBanerjee8217;s crowded mind these days than the wretched Railways portfolio. But when the Royal Bengal Tigress disclosed her lasting regret at a public gathering in hometown Calcutta not so long ago, quite a few hacks were derailed. Mamata revealed that she had always wanted to be a singer, but now, all she can do is roar, thanks to all those public meetings where she takes on sundry enemies. 8220;Give me a break for 15 days from these meetings and I8217;ll give you a song,8221; she promises. Now, that may be music to Atal Behari Vajpayee8217;s crisis-a-minute dispensation, but the PM mustn8217;t forget that Jadavpur8217;s Mamatadi is as unpredictable as the tides of the Hooghly. Even when she breaks into a song, there8217;s no guarantee that the notes won8217;t be jarring.

Maneka Goes Olive Green

Maneka Gandhi8217;s love for animals is no secret. But during a recent visit to Pune8217;s Queen Mary Technical Institute for Disabled Soldiers, where officers and jawans injured in the course of duty get rehabilitation training, it was heraffection for the men in olive green that got many eyes wet.

The Army brat8217; told a small gathering of amused wheelchair-bound men that for many years in her life she had thought of people as 8220;us8221; and 8220;them civilians.8221; Being Maneka, though, she8217;s found a bridge. She advised the disabled men to opt for veterinary compounder training courses. 8220;I8217;ll make sure all such trained soldiers are accommodated by my Ministry,8221; she added.Some more advice, completely housewifely in character, came on the glories of wielding the rolling pin. Recommending the courses in papad-making, she let out the other side of the fire-spewing animal rights crusader: 8220;The rolling motion involved in making chapattis is very soothing. I always find that and washing clothes very relieving whenever I am upset.8221; And even as the men in uniform digested pleasant visions of the minister rolling out chapattis for her menagerie, the green politico whizzed off in her gleaming-white Ambassador.

Kiss amp; Tell

While on Vajpayee8217;sfeline friends, how can we ignore the redoubtable Bal Thackeray? Had it not been for him, wouldn8217;t our veejays have appeared more brainless they are? Channel V8217;s Marc Robinson and Sophiya, for instance.

At the Diana My Best Friend8217;s Wedding King concert at Panaji recently, Marc, ear-stud and all, yelled to the crowd: 8220;I can do whatever I want here, guys, even play cricket 8212; no one to dig up the pitches.8221; Sophiya, appearing in a pair of really short shorts, fashionably unbuttoned, joined Marc on stage for some chemistry under the arclights.

8220;Some time back, we got into trouble for doing something, y8217;know,8221; gushed Marc. 8220;Yeah,8221; cooed Sophiya. 8220;Do you think it8217;s bad?8221; The two then went on to smooch long and hard, and the crowd roared its approval. Of course, Thackeray, and his morality-minder Pramod Navalkar, who had cracked down on canoodling couples at Mumbai8217;s Rang Bhavan during the Savage Garden fest a few months ago, were busy stoking other passions.

Folk Fundas

Not surprisingly, the nine-nation event, attended by five lakh people from all over, was adopted by the Amdavadis. They seemed to be all too happy to take some of the load off Mallika and her team, who hadn8217;t slept or eaten normally for three weeks, hosting the 250-odd performers from countries as different as Uzbekistan and Greece at their homes. 8220;These people are here to learn and teach and to foster friendship, because friendship and camaraderie seem to be ideas fast on the road to extinction,8221; Mallika explained. Given the response from a city known more for pharmaceuticals and profit margins, she needn8217;t worry too much on thatcount.

Tailpiece

Here8217;s the latest on Mamata. Why8217;s she so hung up on the Railways, when she knows of so many other ways to rail?

By Rohit Bhan in Jammu, Ashis Chakrabarti in Calcutta, Rachna Bisht Rawat in Pune, Shiv Kumar in Panaji, and Anand Sundas in Ahmedabad

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