LONDON DIARY

There was a surprise inclusion in the entourage of President Pratibha Patil for her state visit to the UK and Cyprus....

On Grandmas trip

There was a surprise inclusion in the entourage of President Pratibha Patil for her state visit to the UK and Cyprus. Besides husband Devisingh Ramsingh Shekhawat,she was accompanied by granddaughter Surabhi,Rajendra Shekhawats eldest child. The teenager,who has just finished school,was spotted alighting from Air India One in London but was missing from formal events. Devisingh Shekhawat too,gave the banquet hosted by the Indian High Commissioner a skip,though his name was announced minutes before the function was to begin.

Packed photo-op

With it turning out to be a sit-down dinner for 450 guests at Hotel Marriott,the High Commissioners banquet was an overcrowded,noisy party. Almost an hour was spent with groups of NRIs,being asked table by table to step onto the dais for a photo-op with the President and Minister-in-waiting on the trip D Purandeswari. While even the Hinduja brothers and the likes of Sir Swraj Paul were all lost in the crowd,it was Venkataraman Ramakrishnan,the Indian-born recipient of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry,who was singled out for being felicitated at the event.

Kudos from Queen

Some elements of the ceremonial welcome at Windsor Castle made for diplomatic cheer. One,the Queen mentioned the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack,reminding everyone of its first anniversary in a months time. She paid tribute to the courage of Indian security agencies as well. The Queen took care to guide the President through galleries of the Royal Indian collection at Windsor. Patil was shown a shawl spun by Mahatma Gandhi and presented to the Queen on her wedding in 1947.

Little proximity

Though both delegations were in London at the same time and in the same hotel,there was no coordination between the Indian High Commission and the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee. Members of the media delegation accompanying the President could not attend certain events like the photo-op with baton-bearers,and missed the activity on the Commonwealth Games front. In fact,OC heavy-hitters including Suresh Kalmadi were absent at functions in London.