Cranky roads

Today evening I went to a cocktail party at the residence of Cuban ambassador to India, Mr Miguel Angel Ramirez at his residence – a farm house – on the outskirts of Delhi. It took me over two hours to reach there from Hotel Hyatt due to the traffic jams and the pitiable condition of the road.

I am always on time for all diplomatic engagements and parties but on this occasion I reached over an hour late. My host, however, was very understanding knowing that I had no idea of the condition of the road to the farmhouse. I was indeed very surprised that a road in the capital of India, leading to the residences of diplomats, could be in such a mess.

It was a gathering of about 15 to 18 people in Honour of prominent Cuban scientist, Dr Concepcion Campa Huergo, who is on a visit to Delhi. She is a member of the Central Committee and politburo of the Communist Party of Cuba since 1991 and a deputy to the National Assembly of the People’s Power since 1993. Dr Huergo is also the president and director of the Vaccine Institute “Carlos J Finlay” in Havana.

At the cocktails I met Prakash and Brinda Karat along with other friends from the diplomatic fraternity, including Luis Javier Baro, Mrs Nidia Banos Ojeda and Eduardo Iglesias Quintana from the Cuban Embassy. There were also Mr Marco Brando, ambassador of Brazil in India and Nestor Martin who is the chief correspondent for Presana Latina for South Asia and India.

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