Making Amends

Advani and Sonia were seen exchanging notes with each other.

President Pranab Mukhejees At Home last year had caused some heartburn in the opposition BJP over seating arrangements as senior leaders like L K Advani and Sushma Swaraj had to stand in an enclosure while Congress president Sonia Gandhi sat next to the President and the Prime Minister in the VVIP enclosure. Making amends this year,the Rashtrapati Bhawan ensured this time that Advani and Leaders of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha,Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley,sat in the VVIP enclosure. Advani and Sonia were seen exchanging notes with each other.

Slowing Down

The manicured streets of Rashtrapati Bhawan complex witnessed major chaos and a traffic jam Thursday evening,all because of a new system of e-invites being put in place for guests attending the At Home hosted by President Pranab Mukherjee on the occasion of 67th Independence Day. VVIP guests including CBI chief Ranjit Sinha and a host of secretaries to the Government of India as well as other dignitaries had no choice but to stay put in their cars for well over half an hour because of the jam at the entrances. Guests had e-invites sent through mail with bar codes which security personnel had to confirm with handheld bar code readers. But the security drill and the new system led to the jam as a result of which over half of the guests not only reached after the Presidents arrival but also missed the national anthem being played.

Colour Coding

Mark senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshis attire if anybody is looking for ideas to invest in dhoti-kurta,with a touch of fashion. The veteran leader displays an impeccable uniformity as far as the colour of his dhotis border,half-jacket and scarf are concerned. And the colours are as bright as they can get yellow,maroon,blue and red. Also,the selection is in full accordance with the Hindu colour-code like red for Tuesday,green for Wednesday and yellow for Thursday.

First Challenge

Sujatha Singh will be facing her first big bilateral engagement after becoming the Foreign Secretary as India and China hold their next round of Strategic Dialogue in Delhi next week. Singh,who just concluded a successful Bhutan trip,will be facing the Chinese diplomats at the fifth round of the dialogue,which is taking place after three years. Known to be a no-nonsense officer,all eyes will be on how she deals with the Beijing delegation.