Guest relations

French President Nicolas Sarkozy was a troublesome guest during his one-day visit to India. He kept Indian security on tenterhooks by frequently changing his programme. Arrangements were made to seal Lodhi Gardens since he wanted to take a morning jog. At the last moment he changed his mind. A private dinner scheduled at a five-star hotel was abruptly cancelled. Sarkozy insisted on travelling to Agra to see the Taj despite being warned by his hosts that there was a time constraint. The traditional at-home at Rashtrapati Bhavan was delayed by over half an hour as a consequence. At the garden party several members of the French delegation puffed away at their cigarettes oblivious of the fact that Rashtrapati Bhavan is a no-smoking area.

In contrast, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife Sara, who were in Delhi just a few days earlier, went out of their way to make sure that their visit did not cause any inconvenience. They insisted that patients should not be debarred from entering the hospital during their visit to a maternity centre in Nangloi. At the Vishwa Yuvak Kendra, the Browns emphasised that they should be fitted into the pre-existing programme and no alterations made on their account.

Restricted entry

For the last few years the practice at the Republic Day garden party at Rashtrapati Bhavan is for the president and a few VIP guests to remain in a cordoned-off enclosure. Other guests can only shake hands over a barricade. Minister for State for Home Suresh Pachauri wanted to enter the enclosure but was rebuffed by the guard on duty even though he protested that he was a minister and he could see at least two ministers of state inside the hallowed area. The orderly muttered that he only took instructions from his superior and refused to yield.

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