Why Bush missed dessert

In the end, everyone forgot about the dessert. At least the chief guest and his host. It was obviously a terrific lunch and not just because the chefs had excelled themselves. The reason was US President George W. Bush, the chief guest. A pity he left without tasting the dessert.

In the end, everyone forgot about the dessert. At least the chief guest and his host. It was obviously a terrific lunch and not just because the chefs had excelled themselves. The reason was US President George W. Bush, the chief guest. A pity he left without tasting the dessert.

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But was anyone complaining? Not the staff of Taj Palace where the banquet was hosted. Bush happily posed for pictures with them — that’s how they forgot to serve the dessert.

Both Bush and his host, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, left by the time someone remembered. But the lunch was a success. President Bush was an exemplary guest, moving around the hall from table to table — something that never struck the ultimate charmer Bill Clinton when he came here as president. A guest gushed, “You saw a very different side of the president (Bush and not Clinton).”

Guests saw a very different side of the host too, when, looking towards the US first lady, he said, “I’m sorry your husband is not taking you to Taj Mahal.” That brought the house down, not something expected of Singh.

Among the guests were industrialists Mukesh Ambani, Ratan Tata, Nandan Nilekani, Sunil Mittal; media personalities; and politicians — cabinet ministers Pranab Mukherjee, P. Chidambaram and Kamal Nath, allies Lalu Yadav, Sharad Pawar, BJP leaders A.B. Vajpayee, L.K. Advani, Rajnath Singh and GenNext Rahul Gandhi, Omar Abdullah, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sachin Pilot.