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Waiting for Jaswant

Saisuresh Sivaswamy in Colombo

More interesting than Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's arrival in Colombo on Tuesday is that of his close aide and de facto foreign minister, Jaswant Singh the next day, after pitching India's case at the Manila ASEANRF. Interesting, because of the agenda of the SAARC summit, there is no role for Singh -- a fact that has mattered little in the conduct of the country's external affairs so far.

While MEA officials are tight-lipped over Singh's exact brief in Colombo, what makes the former Majorsaab's visit even more interesting is that he will be in the Sri Lankan capital on time for the summit between the Indian and Pakistani prime ministers. Asked if the meeting between A B Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharief would be held in the presence of aides, officials said such details were still being worked out.

Interestingly, this is one of those visits when the prime minister is travelling devoid of a media presence on his aircraft. Flying with the PM is an experience in itself, with the journalists being indulged their every whim, and customs rules are softened to facilitate their quick return. This time, the prime minister is expected to fly in by an IAF aircraft, a fact that officials are neither confirming nor denying, while the media flew in by an Indian Airlines flight from Chennai on Sunday.

Even accepting that the PM could not fly in with the press corps, given that his presence is not really required in Colombo till Tuesday, even on the way back, Vajpayee will be flying out ahead of the fourth estate. So it should be interesting what kind of customs arrangements one meets with on arrival at the IGI airport in Delhi…

From the air, Colombo is idyllic, with palmtops swaying in the breeze and tiled houses presenting a winsome sight. But don't let that lull you into believing all is fine, since the carbine-wielding force is all over the city. In normal times, security is not so immense, says a local, but given that the heads of state of six nations -- the Bhutan king, caught in the midst of democratisation of his polity, has stayed away -- are going to be in the island-nation, the Lankan administration is taking no chances.

But the sight of a light-eyed boy, of perhaps 18, with a carbine slung on his frail shoulders, while on a walk by the promenade on Sunday night, was enough to shake one to the core. Isn't war supposed to be an adult game…?

The way to know a country, 'tis said, is through its cuisine. Since Sunday night was one's first meal outside the aircraft and on foreign soil, all eyes were on Pink Orchids, the restaurant at the Lanka Oberoi where the Indian media is put up. Alas, when the waiter read out what was on offer -- mutter paneer, rotis, aubergines, dal fry and rice -- the Indianisation of the region was brought home by the best way to a man's heart…

Talking of security, a Lankan friend had this to narrate. The marriage reception of their friend had been booked at the Taj Samudra, but then came the SAARC summit which is being held at this dreamy, sea-facing hotel. Given short shrift, their friend had to run around for an alternative venue. At the time of writing, his efforts had still not borne fruit.

A walk by the seaside in Colombo in the night is a revelation. Lined by foreign cars, mostly of Japanese antecedents, with music blaring, couples walking by, jeans clad youngsters walking about, it is hard to believe that this is a country at war with itself. Then one comes out and runs into the pervasive army fatigues, and the bubble bursts.

A direct fallout of the ethnic war is the steep cost of prices. The Lankan rupee, not too healthily placed against its weak Indian counterpart, is in no shape to cope. A pack of cigarettes, which a colleague set out to buy, cost only SL Rs 110, roughly 75 Indian rupees. And, if thought potatoes for Rs 14 a kg was bad, wait till you come to Colombo, where they go for SL Rs 90. Liquor, a constant companion of a jouno, has naturally not been sighted in these parts as yet… A colleague had this to suggest: it surely must be cheaper to get vegetables from Tamil Nadu. Overhearing which, an Indian official promised to see that this was brought on the SAARC agenda for immediate action.

There can be fewer greater pleasures in life than to visit another country, and see your language and culture accepted there. While the Lankan visa, in three languages -- Sinhalese, Tamil and English -- had prepared one to expect this, the sight of bilingual boards all over Colombo -- in Sinhalese, the majority language, and Tamil -- was still enough to warm the cockles of one's heart. Tamil friends in the city aver that despite the ethnic war, the Sinhalese are a people to adore, so warm and friendly they are. And this, from the member of a community which has been loggerheads with the dominant community, must be true.

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