Disregarding protocol, the Canadian Prime Minister, Mr Pierre Trudeau, to-day [January 11] garlanded Mrs. Indira Gandhi at New Delhi airport. Mr. Trudeau was carrying a garland in his hand as he emerged from the special aircraft which brought him to the capital. On stepping down, he put it around Mrs. Gandhi’s neck – even before he was formally welcomed. An embarrassed Mrs. Gandhi shook hands with Mr. Trudeau. Protocol then took its course, with the Delhi Mayor, Mr. Hansraj Gupta, garlanding the bachelor Prime Minister. With disarming informality, he also embraced an Indian diplomat, who was a fellow-student with him at the London School of Economics. As he was being introduced to the officials, Mr. Trudeau spotted Mr. K.R. Narayanan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, who had recently joined the Jawaharlal Nehru University for research on Nehru and non-alignment. Welcoming Mr. Trudeau, Mrs. Indira Gandhi told him that his visit had brought Canada closer to India. She said the task that confronted India was incomparable with that of any other country because of its vast population. Mr. Trudeau, in his reply, said his visit – third by a Canadian Prime Minister – was indicative of the “lasting interest and friendship that unite our people.” “We have many things in common and we both are committed to democracy and the rule of law”, he added.
