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Kerala legislator's book says defence minister rarely caught off guard
He is widely known for his simplicity, but Defence Minister A.K. Antony is also a bit of a miser and a stickler for rules, suggests a book of funny anecdotes penned by a Kerala legislator.
- IANS
- Published: 00:07 July 4, 2008
Thiruvananthapuram: He is widely known for his simplicity, but Defence Minister A.K. Antony is also a bit of a miser and a stickler for rules, suggests a book of funny anecdotes penned by a Kerala legislator.
Titled Kumbalangi Varnangal, the book has been written by senior Congress leader K.V. Thomas, who was part of the state cabinet when Antony was Kerala chief minister from 2001-04. It is to be released next week.
The book takes its name from Kumbalangi, an island that lies a few kilometres away from Kochi and is the native village of Thomas.
In a chapter titled Vyathyasthanam Antony, or "A Different Antony", Thomas writes about an incident at the Brahmaputra Apartments in New Delhi where Antony stayed after taking over as defence minister in October 2006.
"On a cold December evening, I reached his apartment shivering and upon seeing me he asked, 'Oh, you are shivering! Shall we have a glass of hot black tea?' Soon he called Prathapan (his secretary of two decades) and said, 'Get us tea and biscuits'. He asked me why I looked bemused and I told him: 'I have known you for a very long time and this is the first time you are offering me a glass of black tea and biscuits.' Upon hearing this, he started laughing."
Thomas writes that he left the apartment and went to meet some friends at the Delhi Press Club. "I told them that Antony had offered me tea and they, too, were surprised. They insisted I would soon hear good news and made me pay the bill!"
Thomas narrates another interesting encounter to show how tactful Antony could be.
"On visiting Delhi during the Onam [a festival] season, I would take along banana chips and traditional Onam sweets to give to people like [Congress party president] Sonia Gandhi, the prime minister and other senior leaders. I was in two minds on whether to offer a packet to Antony."
A group of journalists asked Thomas if he was not forgetting Antony but he doubted if the latter would make a fuss about the gift.
"So I half-heartedly reached Antony's home at 9, Krishna Menon Marg. When he saw me, he said, 'Oh, you are making your customary Delhi visit during Onam.' He complimented me for the excellent PR job I was doing. Soon I breathed easy.
"I have brought one packet for you too... Shall I put it on the table," I asked whereupon Antony called his younger son and said, "Thomas Mash has brought Onam gifts.' [Mash is a respectful way of addressing teachers in Kerala and Thomas is a retired college professor]."
I saw how shrewd Antony was - he did not oblige me by taking the gift, but did not disappoint me either."
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