Its always nice to meet Indians outside the country. Maybe its homesickness, or some kind of a 'national bond' that seems to be amiss when we are in India. Though I must admit that this bond is at its peak during India-Pakistan cricket matches.
Yesterday, I happened to bump into Mr Jaswant Singh, a former Indian minister. I was at one of the shopping complexes in Oxford, and could have missed him for another shopper. He was casually sitting on a bench probably waiting for his wife to finish off some shopping. I had a brief conversation with him, and he asked me about my background and what I was studying at Oxford. He told me that he is currently at Oxford to lecture at Balliol College. He was also giving a talk at the Oxford Union later that evening. I am glad to have spent some time with him, as I was denied entry to that talk by him at the Oxford Union. This fat ugly man at the reception asked us if we were students at Oxford, and confirming that we were, this is what he had to say .... "As students, you are eligible to be members of the Oxford Union, and because you chose not to be a member, we choose not to let you in" ...... I have one word for him ... "B*ST*RD".
What is the moral of the episode at Oxford Union ....... whenever you want to attend an event at Oxford Union, go with a member, and say that you are a visitor, and from Swami Dayanad college or anything else.
Its nice to see somebody used to "A class" security back in India, enjoying the pleasures of living life as an average human being.
I did some research and found that in 2000, Mr Jaswant Singh had launched the creation of Professorship of Indian History and Culture at the University of Oxford. Great idea !!
No comments:
Post a Comment