Off the camera

Finer details

While the terrace of the Taj Mahal Palace had a curtain of fragrant jasmine strings over an entry gate,the carpet leading to the lectern with the Presidential seal was lined on both sides with lilies. Three days ago,staff members of the Press Information Bureau and consulate officials visited the Taj terrace to check which side the shadow of the heritage dome falls at 2 pm,the estimated time of Obamas speech. So,while one half of the terrace was blazingly hot,the podium as well as journalists and guests who waited for over 45 minutes were covered by the cool shade of the iconic dome.

Sweeping success

The BMC,which took up the massive task of sweeping roads littered with leftovers of Friday nights Diwali revelry,managed to clean the major stretches overnight. We deployed a team of 60 sweepers and the cleaning work was over by 9 am, said B P Patil,chief engineer.