West not, want not

The World Council of Churches is not exactly a shakha, but that would hardly bother RSS leader Ram Madhav. He was in Geneva last week holding forth on the 8220;Hindu perspective8221; at a meet organised by the Christian body. He also went to Tel Aviv, considered by many in the RSS as its 8220;natural constituency8221;, to have discussions on 8220;counter-terrorism8221;. These visits only added to the former RSS spokesperson8217;s image as a newly minted globe-trotter. A couple of months ago, he was in the US interacting with the State Department officials on8212;what else8212;the nuclear deal. He then addressed students of political science at Yale University. Known for his contempt for everything 8220;videshi8221; and 8220;western8221;, Madhav is, however, known as the organisation8217;s modern face8212;a laptop and high-end cell-phone keep him connected with the world.