September 8, 2012

At Sotheby’s in New York

With Bonian Golmohammadi, Sun Joun-Yung (Rep of Korea), Gillian Sorensen (Friends of WFUNA-UN Foundation), Harold Herman (UNA – South Africa)

Today evening after the 203rd Executive Committee (ExCo) meeting of WFUNA, I went to the Sotheby’s at 72 Street and York Avenue.

Sotheby’s as we know is the place where the biggest art auctions and deals of the world take place. Currently, the place is observing Asia Week of which I was not aware of. Also the WFUNA meeting took longer than expected due to deliberations on the Syrian situation.

With Hotelier and New York-based NRI K K Mehta

Ina Puri who attended my dinner yesterday informed me about it. She too is visiting New York and took out time to be at the dinner.

Besides ExCo members, I had also invited few diplomats, friends and prominent Indians settled in New York. I was happy that being a Friday the turnout was very good. The two-day ExCo meeting concludes today and the next meeting would be held in Rio de Janeiro just before the plenary. I have to be there for about a week.

With Linda Nordin (Sweden) and Alexei Borisov (Russia)

In fact, I am not able to get a hotel accommodation because of advance bookings by others. Also, another reason nagging me is that very recently The Economist mentioned Rio to be the most expensive city in the world when it comes to hotels, pipping New York to the third place.
ess bee