David Cameron politely refuses the lavish fare spread for him at Infosys; instead, goes back to his hotel only to get a taste of desi dal
David Cameron politely refuses the lavish fare spread for him at Infosys; instead, goes back to his hotel only to get a taste of desi dal
On his flying visit to the Infosys campus at Electronic City, the techies gave British Prime Minister David Cameron some food for thought, quite literally.
A varied fare was spread for Cameron at the lunch buffet, which probably caught him by surprise. Little did he know that Indians say it best when they say it with food.
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| British Prime Minister David Cameron does a namaste from inside his car as he leaves after a meeting with Governor H Ru00a0 Bharadwaj in the city yesterday. |
From Continental to south Indian specialties, the buffet comprised delicacies from every corner of the world, leave alone India. But sadly for the overzealous Infosys techies, Cameron chose to skip the meal.
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He said no to the sambar, curd rice, rasam that most tourists visiting south India die for.
Feast for delegationWhile the Brit PM was reluctant to have even a bite, his delegation the largest from UK since the sun set on the Raj since 1947 had a feast.
From Cameron's cabinet colleagues to CEOs of leading business houses, from vice-chancellors of reputed universities to other senior dignitaries, each and everyone of them relished on the rasam rice, among other south Indian delicacies. And for dessert they feasted on some ras malai.
This definitely had the appetite rolling for Cameron, who went back to the hotel where he was put up and had a humble meal.
Health consciousAndrew Hendrian, general manager of the hotel, said, "Cameron was very humble throughout his stay and didn't have any special demands. He is extremely health-conscious so he preferred to eat salads and finger foods."
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| The Chief Mentor of Infosys Technologies Narayana Murthy welcomes David Cameron to the Infosys campus in Electronic City yesterday. |
However, keeping away from mouth-watering Indian food is almost impossible. "The only Indian food he tasted was a little of dal makhani, which he absolutely loved," said Hendrian.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
Stuck to suiteChefs at the hotel were eager to serve Cameron it's not every day that they have a prime minister as the guest, but were a little disappointed.
"Cameron enjoyed a hearty continental breakfast at his Maharaja suite. We expected him to visit our restaurants, but the prime minister opted to stay at his suite," said a chef, who catered to the British prime minister.
Cameron's day in IndiaDavid Cameron began his day with a breakfast meeting with Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj.u00a0
He then visited India's IT powerhouse Infosys Technologies Ltd and delivered a lecture to its employees.
He then visit HAL which manufactures the British designed advanced jet trainers (AJTs) Hawk.He signed a deal in which BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce will supply India with 57 Hawk military training jets The deal was worth $1.09 billion (Rs 5,200 crore).
Cameron then flew to Delhi last afternoon from HAL airport.
Awe inspired camSpeaking at Infosys, Cameron referred to Indian icons like Shah Rukh Khan and Sachin Tendulkar. "Sachin Tendulkar, the little master, is so talented that wherever you are from you cannot help but admire, as he hits another century."
"If Bangalore is the city that symbolises India's re-awakening, then Infosys has a good claim to be the company that does the same thing. There is energy and a passion about this place that I have to say I find completely awe inspiring. This country has the whole world beating a path to your door," Cameron said.
