Sunday, September 9, 2001		VIP Toon Tales

MS Hillary Clinton, wife of former US President Bill Clinton, was in Delhi in March, 1995, to take part in a function organised by the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. It was during her visit to Nehru Bhavan that I made a sketch of her with the hope of getting it signed by her. But the tight security around her prevented me from going anywhere near her. All my efforts were in vain and no one came to my help. Then I decided to make a last-ditch effort at the Prime Minister’s residence, where she was to call on Premier P.V. Narasimha Rao. I managed to reach the place in time and was able to get into the Prime Minister’s residence after security clearance. Thanks to the Prime Minister’s private secretary, whom I knew, as soon as Ms Clinton arrived, I passed on her ‘sketch’ to her. She had a nice look at it and was happy to autograph it. In the meanwhile, one of her aides took my address. To my surprise, I received a personal letter from Ms Clinton (addressed to me from the White House, Washington) after a few days, thanking me for presenting the sketch to her.