All the Presidents' Men

APJ Abdul Kalam and I stepped off the chopper. I opened the umbrella for him as we moved away, towards the waiting Musharaff and his aide. The cameraman ran behind us, camera whirring, eager to capture every moment.

Musharaff stepped forward and greeted Kalam. Kalam smiled and spoke softly, "I wanted to make this a personal trip. Your last nuclear blast was clearly unwarranted. I wanted to just come by and tell you that no matter what stand the Indian government takes, I strongly disapprove".

I looked at the aide and said,"We have brought only one camera. When your President came to Agra he had hundreds of cameras and reporters all over the place. See? That's how our President conducts himself". The aide looked away, clearly embarrassed.

An hour later, I stepped out of the airport for a brief walk and spotted Musharaff whispering to his aide. I slowly went near them and hid behind a tree. Musharaff was urging the aide to get his visa stamped immediately. "I don't trust these Indians. You need to be there right away", he said.

My cell phone started to ring at that very instant, emitting incessant beeps. Musharaff peered behind the tree and told me, "That's not your cell, that's your alarm. It's 6 am."