‘Praising my friend Kamal’

There was only one question going round the magnificent Marlborough House in Pall Mall in London during the glittering global launch of Kamal Nath’s book ‘India’s century’ – “Did he really write the book?”

Indian ministers, particularly while in office, are not known to have either the time or inclination to write books. Even Nath himself admitted that when McGraw Hill approached him to write about India’s phenomenal economic growth he wondered whether they thought he had retired.

Peter Mandelson, Nath’s opposite number in European Union, also asked the same question and said he now realised what was slowing down the trade talks in Doha. Sunil Bharti Mittal, the president of the CII and host for the evening tried to throw some light saying he was impressed when he saw Nath dictating passages on a flight from Delhi to Bangalore.

Even Mukesh Ambani, who flew in for four hours en route from Dubai to Columbia just for the launch said he knew Nath as a political leader, a good executive but it came as a surprise that he was an author too.

The combined wealth of the guests present that evening – Lakshmi Mittal, Srichand Hinduja, Arun Sarin, Naresh Goyal, Vijay Mallya, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Lord Dholakia, Sir Gulam Noon to name a few - would definitely outstrip the GDP of many a country. All had gathered just for one thing! To praise ‘My friend Kamal’.

The champagne flowed freely as did the accolades. The ultimate praise came from Lakshmi Mittal who claimed he read the book on a flight from Delhi to Bangkok and “it made him proud to be an Indian”. Nath in fact said it was not the writing of the book that was hard but the editing.

“I had to edit so much that I have enough material for a second book, which will come out shortly,” he said mischievously.

Obviously the Prime Minister hasn’t given the Commerce Minister enough work to do!Those who wanted pick up a bit of history attended the Savoy auction in London on Tuesday. The landmark hotel on the Thames has often been described as the most decadent hotel in the world where the powerful and the privileged have congregated and carried out their exploits.

It was at a reception in the Savoy that Queen Elizabeth was first spotted in 1946 stepping out in public with the young naval lieutenant Phillip of Greece, whom she married a year later.

Or where Elizabeth Taylor had the first of her many honeymoons; where the Beatles ordered porridge and pea sandwiches in the River Room; Elton John left a bath running while taking a phone call, so much so that it overflowed and dripped into rooms below. During 120-year history the Savoy doors have always remained open, until now!

The hotel shuts its doors until 2009 for a £100 million refit. Over the three days, 3,000 lots of mahogany tables, chairs, wardrobes, double beds, sofas, mirrors, curtain and much more all went under the hammer