The second Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas ended on Sunday amid lukewarm response marked by absenteeism. Sonia Gandhi, finance minister Jaswant Singh and even recipients of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman UN diplomat and author Shashi Tharoor gave it a miss.
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Jean-Pierre Harrison — husband of the late Nasa astronaut Kalpana Chawla — who was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, became an instant celebrity. Harrison was seen signing autographs and readily posing for photographs.
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The fashion show presentation called Shringar, conceived by Muzaffar Ali, turned out to be a damp squib. Many guests complained that the show did not bring out the theme and was dull. While a number of guests walked out half-way, compere Nafisa Joseph had her own share of goof-ups.