Man pays price, PM skips sisters' homes

KOLKATA: What Manmohan Singh could do, the Prime Minister cannot. Whenever he visited the city (before becoming the country''s most important Man), Singh would invariably try to drop in at either of two Behala addresses (home to two of his sisters).
But now that he is PM, things have changed somewhat. Barring an unforeseen change in his plans, he is staying put at Raj Bhavan.And his sisters - Govind Sahni and Preetam Kaur - and their families will drop in there to say hello.
Not that the two families mind the (forced) change in Singh''s usual Kolkata plans. They admit to being a little "disappointed" at not being able to play host but add they will not change the way things have turned out for him.
"We''re obviously a little disappointed," Govind said on Tuesday. Singh''s last visit - about a year-and-a-half back - saw him drop in at Preetam''s Parnasree residence, she added.
"But the pride makes up for that," Govind''s elder son Ravinder Singh Sahni said, echoing the entire Manmohan clan in the city. "What he is doing is much more important to us than a visit here. We have learnt to accept that certain changes are part of the job," younger son Gurdeep Singh Sahni explained as the rest of the family got ready to move to the PM''s functions (and from there to Raj Bhavan).
They took a few gifts and bouquets for the PM and possibly something he could chew on (strictly vegetarian fare).
But that was the only change in the usual itinerary for the two sisters'' families. Everyone went out to work: Govind''s husband Rajinder Singh Sahni, sons Ravinder and Gurdeep as well as Preetam''s husband Vidyarattan Singh and their sons.
The Sahnis, however, are still trying to get one VIP over to their Behala flat. "We have insisted that at least his wife fly down on Wednesday and spend some time here," Govind said. The PM''s better half will make up for his forced stay in Raj Bhavan, the others explained.