For India, Sarkozy's significantly 'other'
By Siddharth Srivastava
NEW DELHI - Accustomed to handling the wives of presidents and prime ministers,
the protocol for "first girlfriend" is turning to be a ticklish issue for New
Delhi.
The case relates to the very public courtship of 52-year-old French President
Nicolas Sarkozy and 39-year old Italian heiress, singer and ex-model Carla
Bruni.
Sarkozy is due in India as the chief guest when India celebrates Republic Day
on January 26, a cultural event also marked by a
parade that displays India's latest military hardware and acquisitions.
The Foreign Ministry, however, has some tricky issues to sort out concerning
Bruni-Sarkozy. The piquant situation has arisen as
New Delhi has never before had to host a guest "companion" of a country's
political head on an official visit.
Sarkozy recently divorced his second wife, following which the relationship
with Bruni has unveiled for all to see. The couple reportedly caused a bit of
an embarrassment to officials in Egypt and Jordan, where they recently visited.
While it is not confirmed whether Bruni will actually be coming, the Indian
protocol machinery at the Foreign Ministry is taking no chances as Sarkozy has
mixed his recent official foreign sojourns with some time off with Bruni to
catch up on pleasure and tourist sites.
The Indian Foreign Ministry has thus sounded out its French counterpart about
her status, whether it should be "girlfriend", "first lady" or "delegate", if
she visits.
"It is up to the French officials to tell us. We have no problems in dealing
with the issue the way they want us to," an official said.
Depending on the final definition, a reference to Bruni could be included or
excluded in addresses by the president or prime minister at official banquets,
as well as details regarding separate, sharing or connected hotel bookings, and
seating arrangements at ceremonial and other functions.
Ideally the government would like to settle for Bruni as the "first lady" as
there is established procedure for such dignitaries while the husband is
involved with more important matters of state.
It is easy to arrange trips and photo-ops at government-managed handicraft
emporiums, public-funded schools and more recent technology hubs that empower
the underprivileged. If there is a little more time, the "first lady" and the
hubby are often taken to Agra to pose in the picture-perfect backdrop of the
Taj Mahal.
It becomes even better if there are children as it portrays the right image of
a "happy family" with which the government likes to associate. All very
politically correct and in sync with what is considered morally and socially
appropriate in India.
High-profile couples that have visited include the late Princess Diana and
Prince Charles, who betrayed a bit of their discomfort with each other, and the
charming Bill and Hillary Clinton, who did not shed even a hint of their
extra-marital discords, to the disappointment of many.
Until Bruni became public, Indian analysts were discussing the French
president's visit in terms of drier issues, such as India's cancellation of the
recent multi-million dollar Eurocopter helicopter deal due to supposed US
pressure and a controversy over French Scorpene submarines.
Yet, the visit of a French president never attracts the kind of frenzy or
attention that accompanies a US presidential visit or the interest that a
Russian or Chinese head of state can create.
Sarkozy, with the comely Bruni, however, tilts the balance and has already
evoked the expected response from tabloids and the increasingly aggressive
Indian paparazzi that feed the very competitive TV channels. Sarkozy's pictures
with his pretty companion during recent travels to Egypt have been given
prominent display.
Indeed, the little dilemma that the Indian establishment is faced with has to
do with the deep-seated mores of a country that have at times refused to evolve
- or go away - even as society has changed.
Despite very liberal pockets of thought and behavior in India, much of the
public, and especially the government, prefers a conservative image, reflecting
deep-seated opinions about what is considered deviant or correct.
Thus, landlords do not encourage unmarred couples as tenants, couples need to
be married to have children, homosexuality is illegal and in rural India, where
the majority of the population resides, marrying somebody outside a particular
caste or religion can invite death by public slaying.
However, Bruni and Sarkozy will perhaps need to watch out for the rising
numbers of hyperactive, hypersensitive radical elements referred to as the
"moral police" who love to pick on celebrities, especially film and sports
stars, usually on charges of indecent portrayal of women, hurting religious
sentiments and - a more recent concern - "disrespecting the national flag".
The attention-seeking moral brigade, often with the backing of regional
political outfits such as the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, also closely monitors
content in films and interpret works of art to assess any "wrong". Evan at the
age of 92, internationally acclaimed artist M F Husain is a favorite whipping
boy due to his 1990s paintings of Hindu deities in the nude.
Among those who have been slapped by court cases include actress Shilpa Shetty,
following a peck on the cheek by Hollywood actor Richard Gere at a public
function; another actress Sushmita Sen has been hauled up for saying that
virginity is no big deal; tennis player Sania Mirza is a favorite of Muslim
clerics who keep a hawk eye on everything she does, says and wears - the latest
charge against her is that her feet were "wrongly' pointing towards the
national flag while she rested after a match. There was also a brouhaha about
her short skirt.
Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and Narayan Murthy, head of software giant Infosys,
have had to deal with accusations of disrespecting the national flag. Tendulkar
happened to cut a cake made in the colors of the flag.
Like most French and Western people, Sarkozy has been quite open about his
affections for Bruni. Such public displays of fondness can be construed as
obscene in India by the police. Indeed, this week, a married couple was beaten,
harassed and hauled off to a police station in Bangalore. Their "crime"? They
were sitting on the same park bench chatting on their respective cell phones.
While nothing of this sort will happen to Bruni and Sarkozy, one can rest
assured the moral brigade will be keeping a close eye.
Siddharth Srivastava is a New Delhi-based journalist.
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New Delhi has never before had to host a guest "companion" of a country's
political head on an official visit.
