Sarkozy,Carla and Kochappan

Gentlemen ! ( even if you are not one please go ahead and read !)

My mind was not neither in e mail nor fe males for quite some time; to be precise for almost two months. It's an issue which has been of concern for the Govt of India and me. Believe me, it is such an issue.

Mr.Kochappan, whose wiser counsel I seek on such occasions of predicament was away in Kottayam.

I was lost without his guidance. I was standing at a place where 'Two roads diverged into the woods' and I had to choose the right one. The only other person who had faced a similar situation in his life could be the poet Robert Frost; no one else to my knowledge.

Sitaram Yechuri and Prakash karat had whisked Kochappan away to Kottayam to to reconcile the warring factions of Pinarayi and Achumama. Such is Kochappan's counselling capacity.

I got him over phone at Kottayam; trifle late at night. From his tone I guessed that he was nursing a drink; he nurses only a drink or two at night these days; nothing else; age is catching up.

'' Iam anxious, so is Manmohan Singh, and the Foreign Affairs ministry,'' I said.

'' Regarding what?'' His questioning skill was evident.

'' About the visit of the French Premier Sarkozy and his woman Carla to India'' I replied in one breath.

'' Don't beat around the bush as Jyothi Basu does on Capitalism and Communism'' Kochapps warned.

'' Manmohan Singh is happy about Sarkozy's visit to India, but the Foreign affairs ministry has reservations about his girl friend Carla acompanying him. She cannot be accorded an official welcome. Prime Ministers should not be allowed to visit India with their living-in girl friends.''
I paused for breath and continued. '' Even Clinton had the sense not to bring Monica with him when he came here. He came alone to India. May be Monica would have come separately. But never together. Sarkozy can come alone but not with Carla. If she desires so she should come separately not with him .'' I put across my points of view bluntly to Kochapps.

There was a pregnant silence. Kochappan by habit weighs options before giving opinions. While he was weighing I had another gulp of fresh air and waited for his verdict .

'' Aniyan, how can India ever tell Sarkozy that he and Carla should not come together. A s a boy friend and girl friend they can come together or separately. And Sarkozy cannot dictate when Carla should come; he can make attempts to make her come when he wants her to come or delay it or prevent it, but then it is not fully in his hands. You must understand that it is even beyond Carla to decide whether and when she should come. So I suggest you don't worry whether they come separately or together. It's a family matter. It's Physiological, Aniyan, it's Physiological'' He disconnected.

As it happens always I couldn't understand what has Physiology got to do with Carla and Sarkozy coming together at the same time.

I want clarification and will ask him when he returns from Kottayam; but then if he and Brinda Karat are coming together even that may not be possible!


menon ( aniyan )