Gracious visitor

Before leaving for surgery in the United States of America, Sonia Gandhi won many hearts in Bangladesh. During her visit to the country, she was received by Saima, the daughter of Sheikh Hasina Wajed, the prime minister of Bangladesh. Seeing Sonia dressed in a gorgeous Dhakai sari, Saima could not help but praise her outfit. Sonia returned the compliment saying that Saima’s silk sari was even more striking. At which point, Saima shyly pointed out that she was wearing a sari that had been gifted to her by none other than Madam herself. Indeed, the cordial relationship between Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s family and the Gandhis go back to the birth of Priyanka Gandhi, when bongobondhu had visited New Delhi. This time in Dhaka, a special exhibition on Indira Gandhi was put up at Mujib’s residence, followed by a short film on Mrs Gandhi at a ceremony in which Bangladesh’s highest civilian honour was conferred on the former prime minister of India.

Lucky thirteen

The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh has been bitten by the astrology bug. Recently, Mayavati left her palatial bungalow on 5 Kalidas Marg in Lucknow to move into a house on 13 Mall Avenue, which once used to be her personal residence. The number 13 may breed terror in the hearts of some people, but for Mayavati, it is nothing short of a fetish, for she considers the number to be very lucky for herself. Mayavati had taken oath on May 13, 2007, along with 13 ministers, and that too at 13:00 hours (that is, 1 pm). She entered her newly refurbished house on 13 Mall Avenue, once again, precisely at 13:00 hours. Given her sudden allegiance to lucky 13, it may appear that Behenji is planning something adventurous in the near future. A section of the Bahujan Samaj Party seems to believe that she may seriously consider early elections in the state — sometime in November-December this year instead of April-May 2012. The idea will be to upstage Rahul Gandhi’s plan for the Congress’s comeback in Uttar Pradesh. With the All India Congress Committee president out of action for some time now, the Congress may find it difficult to make a convincing return in Uttar Pradesh.

Sealed by the stars

To continue with more updates on astrological quirks, the Union tribal affairs and panchayati raj minister, Kishore Chandra Deo, has also been relying on the stars a little too much. Soon after becoming minister, Deo consulted his astrologer about the most propitious time for taking charge of his new office. He was told to sign the first file as minister exactly at 1:40 pm that day. Unfortunately for the other officials at the ministry, this was lunch hour, so many of them had to forego their afternoon meal. But their sacrifice did seem to bear fruit later on when an amendment to a bill providing 50 per cent reservation for women in panchayats was signed at the appointed hour, and the item was quickly endorsed by the cabinet.

Their mangoes, our mangoes

This one’s for the aam admi (the pun very much intended). It is believed that recently, Pakistan’s interior minister, Rehman Malik, sent baskets of mangoes to several Congress members of parliament, including Sanjay Nirupam. The politically correct Nirupam wasted no time in asking his party’s general-secretary, Madhusudan Mistry, if it was okay to eat these fruits. After he was given the go-ahead, a laughing Nirupam apparently told his 75-year-old mother, “Apne hee aam hain. Bas udhar chaley gaye thé! (They are our mangoes only, except that they’d gone over to the other side).”

Sense and sensibilities

Friends and foes, allies and annoyances, come together in a strange brew in the topsy-turvy world of Indian politics. Recently, Amar Singh managed to get support from a rather unexpected quarter. The Samajwadi Party leader, Mulayam Singh Yadav, defended Amar, his former general-secretary, as well as a senior party leader, Kunwar Rewati Raman Singh, both of whom are under the scanner for the 2008 cash-for-vote scam. But no such luck befell Sanjay Dutt, Amar’s friend and former party colleague. Soon after Amar quit the party, Dutt had followed suit, and was joined in this show of solidarity by another MP and Bollywood colleague, Jaya Prada. But then, Dutt has made it clear that he doesn’t want to return to politics. On the contrary, he says he wants to stay as far away from it as possible.

Footnote

Old habits die hard

Once Miss Universe, always Miss Universe. Sushmita Sen may have left behind her days of being known as just a beauty queen, and graduated on to other avatars, such as to being an actress. But her behaviour often leaves much to be desired. Always a warm social animal, Sen was her usual effusive self at a recent press conference. But the journalists present on the occasion did not take too kindly to being constantly addressed as “Baby” and “Love” by the former Miss Universe. There were irritated whispers that it’s been close to a couple of decades since Sen had had her moment of glory in the world of fashion. Perhaps the time has finally come for her to change her “Miss Universe ways” and invent some more innovative strategies to woo the media.