Open, easy, relaxed and chatty. Those are the attributes President Pranab Mukherjee displayed in abundance when he interacted informally with a bunch of 100-odd journalists at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday evening.
Away from the glare of television lights, the President’s interaction, first in brief remarks over a public address system and then in small groups over tea, was instructive at a time when journalists have to work hard to get stories.
It’s tough to make ceremonial remarks while holding a substantive-cum-ceremonial office, but Mr. Mukherjee and his team are clearly up to the task.
The President, who shook hands with journalists waiting in a horseshoe formation, probably knew by name a majority of the assembled press corps — a sign that he used his time as minister and politician in Delhi to good effect.
It’s likely that many of the journalists assembled at Rashtrapati Bhavan have their own stories of association with the President.
As Minister, Mr. Mukherjee believed in answering his own telephone, a boon to many journalists who had queries to be answered before deadline.
Like on Wednesday evening, the President was always proper, responding to only those queries that he deemed fit to answer.
He spoke of Rashtrapati Bhavan in affectionate terms and it being “mute witness” to history, pointing out that Lord Irwin was the first occupant of this stately building in 1931.
Mr. Mukherjee, who has travelled on innumerable occasions across the country, revealed to the press that he wanted to go abroad only on the “rare occasion”.
During his tenure as Foreign Minister and as Finance Minister, Mr. Mukherjee had occasion to travel abroad on many occasions and has now made domestic travel his priority.
In the last two years, the President has made 82 domestic trips.
