A Note of Nostalgia
The Congress party will be shifting to its corporate style new headquarters this week—not unlike the BJP, which made the shift a few years ago. This has brought on a wave of nostalgia for the Lutyens bungalow that housed the old office, particularly for reporters from the Congress beat. I was a regular visitor there, especially during the 90s and early 2000, for the daily 4 pm press conference, which was always followed by an off-record tete-a-tete with the spokesperson of the day. It was a time before social media and instant news, so everyone had a lot more time to understand the issue at hand with all its nuances and spins. The party general secretaries came in around that time too and their doors were always open for the media. Digvijaya Singh served jasmine tea with lots of anecdotes; Janardhan Dwivedi was a media magnate, for his take on the story of the day was important; from Ambika Soni and Magaret Alva to Prithviraj Chavan, B.K. Hariprasad and Mukul Wasnik, there was always a door you could knock and be sure of a warm welcome. Ghulam Nabi Azad was rarely in his office, but he occupied a prime real estate overlooking the car park and his room was always open for squatters.
While it was a revolving door for most general secretaries, there was one occupant who remained constant, the late Motilal Vora. The party treasurer was always the last to leave the premises, ending the day with an evening walk around the roundabout in front. I have my own anecdote about Vora-ji. While I was still a rookie journalist (and a rookie driver), while reversing out of the CCCCC car park, I accidentally hit one of the Congress Party vehicles. While that vehicle remained unscathed, my car suffered some damage. I returned to my office and soon there was a call on the landline. It was Vora on the other side. “I believe you had an accident with one of our cars today,” he asked. I replied saying that I had checked the other car, which seemed fine but of course if there was any damage I would pay for it. He was quick to reassure me, “Not at all. Rather, I heard your car was damaged on our premises. Can we pay for the repairs?”
That was the old guard. Here’s to new beginnings.
The New BJP Chief
While the current BJP chief’s extension is running out, there is still no consensus on J.P. Nadda’s successor. There are reports that the party is looking for an OBC or a Dalit leader (to counter Kharge?) as well as to change the prevailing narrative that the BJP is against backwards. Some also claim that the new party chief would be from the South. There is also a feeling that such calculations are counter-productive in the long term so it would be better to go on merits. Each power centre has a favourite. But knowing the way Narendra Modi’s BJP works, the nominee will end up being one who hasn’t appeared on any shortlist.
January of Jaipur
Social and cultural activist and Managing Trustee of the Prabha Khaitan Foundation, Sundeep Bhutoria has curated another interesting event for the art and literary world. Coined “January of Jaipur”, he has earmarked an evening at the Jai Mahal Palace in Jaipur, with the soulful Sufi music of Kavita Seth and the folk renditions of Anwar Khan Manganiyar. Also on display at the event will be delicacies from the state’s delectable cuisine and some traditional glimpses of its rich cultural heritage. Given that winter in the capital city of Jaipur has a myriad of cultural events to offer, Bhutoria has carved a special place for himself on the artistic calendar. In fact, over the years, Bhutoria has created an enviable niche as a cultural czar, curating literary and artistic events from metros to tier two cities as well as the international arena. The idea is to fashion an inclusive platform so that no one is left out of the artistic feast our diverse culture has to offer. Wonder what his plans are for February.
Work Wife Balance
The chairman of L&T is under fire (deservedly) for his comments while advocating a 90-hour work week. S.N. Subrahmanyan reportedly told his staff that they should work on Sundays as well, and then added, “What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife?” This has sparked thousands of memes on social media, with the most apt comment coming from self-styled armchair thinker Ramesh Srivats, who wrote on X: “So far we were discussing work-life balance, the L&T Chairman has shifted the debate to Work-Wife balance.”