Mumbai, March 24 :     When President Bill Clinton met the Magnificent Seven, faces of the so-called New India, he was in no hurry to wind up. The rendezvous at Cafe Royal, a restaurant set up in 1919, took place on schedule at 5.30 pm and lasted an unexpected one-and-a-half hours. After his brush with rural Rajasthan, Clinton saw the face of the emerging India in Kalanidhi Maran, the man behind South-based Sun TV, Sanjana Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor's actress daughter who manages the family's Prithvi Theatre, journalist Jarjum Ete, the driving force behind Arunachal Pradesh's women's welfare movement, Mirai Chatterjee of Self-Employed Women's Association (Sewa), an NGO which has over 2.20 lakh members, Chetan Chitnis, involved in malaria eradication, Swati Piramal, scientific adviser to pharmaceuticals giant Nicholas Laboratories, and Nandan Nilekani, managing director of Infosys Technologies, the country's leading infotech company whose shares are listed on Nasdaq. In a minority, the men were formally dressed in suits. Sanjana, Mirai and Swati looked elegant in silk sarees, but Jarjum, in a sarong, grabbed all the attention. 'The President listened attentively and also probed us occasionally to clear his doubts,' said Swati later. Clinton was seated at the head of the table, with Chelsea on his left, and the seven delegates were on either side of the table. Maran said the President drove home the commonalities between the two countries. He spoke of sharing of technology and admired India's capabilities in knowledge-based sectors. Mirai added that the President expressed deep interest in the chosen sphere of work of each of the seven delegates. 'He was impressed by the work done by Sewa,' Mirai said. Jarjum said Clinton was excited by the work done to empower women through co-operatives and other social organisations. The reticent Sanjana giggled: 'I talked about Indian theatre with him.' After the meeting, the seven walked across to Leopold Cafe, the city's famous night spot, to party till late in the night, leaving Farzad Farhang, who owns Cafe Royal, to savour the taste of serving Clinton, though the President sipped only coffee and soft drinks. 'I'm on the moon and I feel like Neil Armstrong,' declared Farzad, whose family also owns Leopold. They were informed about the visit about a fortnight ago. Farzad surmised Cafe Royal was picked possibly because US consular corps in the city are regular visitors. Farzad's nieces, Simran and Natasha, garlanded Clinton at the doorstep and handed over a bouquet to Chelsea. Cafe Royal will not miss the opportunity to hardsell its restaurant. 'We have got his autograph on our menu card and you will shortly find it gracing each table.'