President sees the present, past of France

By K.K. Katyal

MARSEILLE, APRIL 20. It was a journey from the 21st century to the 12th century for the President, Mr. K. R. Narayanan, yesterday. In the morning, while at Toulouse, in central France, he was at the most modern aviation centre of the world, Aerospatiale Matra, manufacturing the latest of aircraft, both for civilian and defence sectors. Going round the assembly lines, he was given details about performance and the dizzy heights scaled by the planes by the company bosses. ``At some point, they must be competing with the rainbow,'' remarked the President, relieving the monotony of machines.

Later, soon after his arrival here, he along with the First Lady, Ms. Usha Narayanan, drove to a nearby village, preserved in the 12th century mould- with colourful costumes of the riders on the horseback, with its flute and drumbeat retaining the old ambience. The passage of 800 years do not seem have made a difference to the 500 residents who attract one million tourists every year.

This morning it was the nearby city of Avignon, classed by the UNESCO as a world heritage site. It is one of the nine European cities, designated as the city of the millennium. At the cross- roads of cultures, it has maintained the distinctive character, with its exhibitions, concerts and theme visits. In 1985 Peter Brooks play ``Mahabharata'' was staged there.

All this followed serious discussions in the last three days with his counterpart, Mr. Jacques Chirac, and the Prime Minister, Mr. Lionel Jospin.

Lighter moments

In the first case, the focus was on shared values and commitments, apart from specific bilateral matters; in the second case, it was more of a business-like affair. But serious business had lighter moments too. Mr. Jospin spoke of the French keenness to sell Airbuses to India. Giving a lighter twist to the conversation, the President remarked that their price was rather high. Half-jokingly a substantive point was made.

As was the same thing in Lahore- some of us recalled- at the time of the bus journey last year and talks between the Prime Minister, Mr. A. B. Vajpayee, and his then opposite number, Mr. Nawaz Sharif. During their discussions mention was made of the proposal of power supply by Pakistan to India. Mr. Vajpayee referred to it at his address at the governor's house. He welcomed the idea, he said, but ``daam theek hone chaiye (the price has to be right).'' There was a loud burst of laughter by the Pakistani audience.

Elysee Palace, residence of the French President in Paris, is exquisite in several ways, a harmonious blend of the elegant and the magnificent. Visiting this place, one can scarcely imagine that a bloody coup was planned there some 150 years ago.

Marathon banquet

On Monday night, on the occasion of the banquet for Mr. Narayanan, it looked glorious with giant paintings, statues, ornate furniture, giant chandeliers and vases with flowers of myriad colours. The number of guests was usually large, 217, and Mr. Chirac and Mr. Narayanan along with the First Ladies greeted the guests warmly. The banquet was a marathon three-hour affair, as the best of the French cuisine and wines were produced for the occasion.

The seating arrangement was thoughtful, with an eye on interaction between French and Indian guests. The Urban Development Minister, Mr. Jagmohan, for instance was seated next to his French counterpart. Did he congratulate the French Minister for the upkeep of Paris and other cities and for the services provided with clock-like precision? Did the thought of his ``clean Delhi'' campaign and its fate in the midst of possible political pressures cross his mind?

At the Mayor's reception on Tuesday Mr. Narayanan turned anecdotal for a while. He recalled how the constituent assembly of France which, not being provided a room by the then king to undertake its historic task, met in a tennis court, resolving not to leave till its job was completed. The oath taken by it came to be known as the oath of the tennis court. The determination of the French framers of the constitution was invoked by Nehru as the Constituent assembly met in Delhi after Independence.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : Court ruling illegal: Pak. prosecution
Next     : Silence, price of return to China, says Dalai Lama