A conference well attended in Paris

Sanjay Kundu

A key benefit of being a Joint Secretary in the Government of India is the opportunity to visit foreign countries on official business. Having established myself in the Union Ministry of Water Resources, I was frequently sent overseas to represent the ministry.

One late evening, I got a call that I was to lead the Indian delegation to the World Water Forum. The two-day event was scheduled the day after morning at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. I queried if it wasn’t too late to attend the event as the process for approval was long. I was told not to worry and get ready for the visit.

The next day, I got busy with office, forgetting about the visit. Late evening, the officer dealing with foreign visits informed me that all official arrangements were in place. I requested him to brief me about what I was expected to do. He gave me a thick folder to read in the plane.

Landing in Paris, I was received by the Protocol Officer of the Indian embassy, who got me out through some fast track. I had a Mercedes waiting with an Algerian driver which took me to a high-end hotel at the Arc de Triomphe. I got ready and rushed to the UNESCO headquarters where India’s First Secretary to UNESCO, who was the other member of our delegation, greeted me. He guided me to ‘Celle 11’, the large conference hall where the forum was being held. I was for a moment dazzled by the scale, grandeur and fast pace of things. I sat for a while, got strong black coffee and oriented myself. We recessed for lunch to the top floor dining hall, which offered a breath-taking view of the Eiffel Tower.

After lunch, I had a session which went off well. By the time we broke for evening coffee, I had made many friends among the other participating nations, some inviting me to dinner that evening. I went for a jog to Arc de Triomphe and then spent time in the hotel’s spa, which was probably meant for kings.

On the second day, I was confident as a batsman who had scored a century. Representatives of many nations were asking me about how we were managing our water issues. I skipped lunch and utilised the two-hour break for sight-seeing. The driver took me around, and showed me the heart of Paris, including Napoleon’s tomb and Notre-Dame Cathedral. Returning for the post-lunch session, I was much in demand. When the issues were being put to vote, I had over dozen nationalities swarming over to support them.

While dropping me to the airport, the Algerian driver did me another favour. He took a detour and showed me the Eiffel Tower, beautifully lit by night.

A conference well attended and time well spent. Paris, a city to fall in love with, well visited!