· It happened in 1995. The then president of India Shanker Dayal Sharma was scheduled to go to Latin America on a state visit. The present foreign secretary S.Jaishankar was his media advisor. I sought an appointment with him about the presidential itinerary as the bureau chief of Swatantra Bharat. He called then and there. When I told him that I was also bringing out a monthly magazine Indo-Latin American File si8nce 1992, he was visibly shocked. He flipped through the pages of some issues that I had carried for him. He asked me, if I would put the story of this visit on the cover. I replied, of course. Then he dropped the bombshell.
· Would you like to to the media team accompanying the president. I couldn't believe my ears and nodded in an instant yes. Go then pack and baggage. He asked his staff to handover a formal invite saying that I have been included in the media team.
· I rushed back to office and informed my editor Ghansyam Pankaj about the good news as ma feather in my cap. But I saw his face changing colour. From his familiar pink to yellow and then darker. He said but how could they invite you directly. Such invites are sent to the editor to nominate who will go. Then he added with a cynical smile a d traditionally, editors go for such a high profile visit.
· You are right, Pankaj ji ( that is how I used to address him because we had cordial relations). They have invited me as the editor of Indo-Latin American File. His mind was working overtime to dissuade me. That arrangement was informal and I had chosen to keep it under the wraps. If you go as the editor of that magazine, I will have to inform the management. It was evident that he didn't want me to go. I hadn't anticipated it. To cut the matter short, I offered to resign. My sixth sense had hinted he might not agree, so I had carried my resignation from my job. I handed him that piece of paper. He didn't expect that. He said, you are resigning such a cushy job just for a foreign trip. Don't bother, I will send you in the next trip. I got up, folded my hands and walked out.
· Next day, I got another call from Jaishankar. He asked me to see him urgently. I could guess what was coming. I was there in a couple of minutes. He said, he was sorry, as my editor has written to the president that he had not approved the name of his correspondent and instead he would be accompanying the president. The latter asked Jaishankar to look into the matter. Jaishankar was cheesed off. But he had taken a liking for me and said, do you know the minister of state for foreign affairs, Salman Khursheed. I said, yes, he knows me and my work on Indo-Latin American relations.
In next half an hour, I was sitting at 2 Motilal Nehru Marg, residence of Khursheed. I told him the whole story, He asked me not to worry. and called his staff to draft a letter of recommendation to the president. He mentioned about the magazine and the role it was playing in India's relations with the region. He even wrote that I was the most deserving journalist to be a part of this media team. President marked the letter to Jaishankar. He asked me with a surprise. You have resigned. I said yes.
When I reached the airport, I saw Pankaj also with his bag and baggage. He was going on behalf of Swatantra Bharat and I as the editor of IULAF. The grapevine had reached all the media members of the trip. Pankaj, took me aside that let's be friends again. He went out of his way to make me comfortable. It was a memorable trip with my little sprinkling of Spanish during the trip.
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