HVK Archives: Low-key bon ton
Low-key bon ton - The Pioneer
Nikhil Khanna
()
10 May 1997
Title : Low-key bon ton
Author : Nikhil Khanna
Publication : The Pioneer
Date : May 10, 1997
The residents of the upper class neighbourhood of Maharani Bagh are heaving a sigh
of relief. They have a Prime Minister next door. Inder Kumar Gujral may well
move into the PM's official residence soon, but Maharani Bagh can now be assured
of no power, no water shortages, no mosquito menaces and good-bye errant thieves.
Not that Maharani Bagh ever worried about these minor civic hitches - the area,
one diamond encrusted dame told me, "Was always taken care of. You see Dr Naresh
Trehan had extended a 5 kilometre cordon sanitaire from the Escorts Heart
Institute. So dulling we never really had to worry." So there.
Trehan is the noted heart surgeon with enormous influence in this cite - his
cordon sanitaire is well respected. There will, however, be a slight problem for
the residents of this lush locality - each house has an average of 5 cars -- town
car, limo, one dinky thing for dropping kiddies to school, one trophy salon,
(usually a fat new Merc or a Rolls) and one 'fun' car for teenagers. Already the
grumblings have begun, for people are being vigorously checked and this group does
NOT like to be checked. One louche lad drawled the other evening to me, "It's too
much really. Mr Gujral ought to move soon to Race Course Road. I can't have
these chaps going through my car every time I return from dinner." Especially not
if your nostrils are the size of manhole covers and the white powder spilled on
the lapel is not talcum powder.
Another breathless debutante living down few houses down from the PM's residence
said that the police had wanted to plant two cops outside her rooftop studio which
she uses to paint genteel, moist watercolours "I refused,' whispered the deb,
"imagine what would happen to my concentration."
Now all this is too bad, and the residents, regardless of sanding in the pecking
order of Delhi society will just have to put up with a little inconvenience that
come from living next door to a Head of Government. Look at the advantages - last
week emerging from lunch in the neighbourhood we saw army's of municipal workers
drenching the sidewalks in lime, trimming the bushes and generally tarting up the
area. The Gujral's themselves occupy an elegant white edifice in a central avenue
of the colony, - the house is in cracking good taste - the entire family in fact
is known for their elegance and low key bon toil.
Gujral's brother, the artist/architect Satish Gujral maintains one of the most
attractive salons in the city while his daughter Raseel is a well-known interior
decorator. The Prime Minister's other niece is married to Vinit Jam of the
publishing family, while Vinit's sister in turn is married to his wife's brother -
a fair exchange. The younger Gujral's are very much part of the old money elite of
this city and as far as ancient Punjabi families are concerned, there is a sigh of
relief hissing throughout the Capital - at last, people utter more than slightly
satiated, a Punjabi Prime Minister!
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