Scholar Ambassador

The new United States Ambassador to India, Dr Robert Blackwill, is a far cry from his more colourful, ‘page 3’ gossip-column frequenting predecessor, the Ohio politician — Dick Celeste.

While Mr Celeste and his fashion-conscious and ‘partying’ wife were the toast of New Delhi’s nouveau-riche cocktail circuit, Dr Blackwill is a Harvard don. At one of his quiet ‘getting-to-know-India’ dinners with scholars and editors in New Delhi this week, the Ambassador asked for suggestions on what books he should read about India.

To his guests’ surprise, Dr Blackwill had read each of the books recommended around the table. The two books he had not read were Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children and A L Basham’s The Wonder That Was India. Dr Blackwill quickly pulled out his pen and a paper and wrote the names down saying, “I must get hold of them”.

The (in)famous drive
How would you react if you came across the taxi driver who claims he drove former chairman of Unit Trust of India (UTI) P S Subramanyam, from his residence in Mumbai to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) office on the day of his arrest.

Surprisingly, this cabbie was quite indifferent about the whole thing. As it turned out, he was asked to wait in advance by the CBI officials. The officials then managed to frisk the former chairman to the investigation authorities evading innumerable reporters and photographers.

Going by instinct (reporter’s that is) one couldn’t resist asking the cabbie if he was paid for this eventful trip. Sure he was. Actually he got Rs 60 for the drive which would have otherwise cost just half that figure. Surely your lucky day cabbie!