Last week’s Republic-Day "At Home" by President Pranab Mukherjee turned out to be more than the wonted warm event. The balmy weather, with the winter sun showering the Mugual Gardens with its soothing rays, was a welcome bonus the weather god had ordered for the late afternoon. This had obviously prompted invitees to attend the event in good numbers. There was massive turnout and the guests jostled for elbow space, literally. 

Apart from chief guest French President Francois Hollande, the event saw the presence of Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers and other dignitaries like former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, veteran BJP leader L K Advani and Congress president Sonia Gandhi. 

Diplomats from various countries were seen with their spouses, many of them commenting on the weather. "Lovely, we are lucky, aren’t we," exclaimed a western diplomat. Foreign Secretary Jaishanker was all ears to whoever went and spoke to him on some issue or the other. 

Top brass from the armed forces made a splendid sight as they shone in their ceremonial regalia. Arjan Singh, the towering, majestic Marshal of the Air Force, stood out as always. He received particular attention from most of the guests as he sat gracefully in a special seat reserved for him in the VVIP enclosure. Manmohan Singh walked up to the 96-year-old Marshal and greeted him. Sadly missing this year was the ever unfailing presence of General Jacob, the hero of the Bangladesh liberation war. The general died a few weeks ago. 

There was a mild flutter among the crowd when a smiling Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal walked into the enclosure with his wife. The couple came with hands in Namaste position as they greeted the other VVIP guests. 

Union ministers Rajnath Singh (home), Arun Jaitley (finance), Nirmala Sitharaman (commerce), Ravi Shankar Prasad (Communication and IT), Harsh Vardhan (Science and Technology),Dharmendra Pradhan (Petroleum), Jayant Sinha (MoS Finance), Rajiv Pratap Rudy (MoS skill development), and Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (MoS Information and Broadcasting) were also in attendance. 

Mukherjee, dressed in a black bandhgala, introduced the Union ministers and his staff to the French President. Mukherjee and Modi took a walk around the venue, greeting the invitees with a namaste, handshake or a wave. Modi looked elegant in his cream waistcoat. The President’s daughter Sharmistha Mukherjee was seen engrossed in a conversation with Advani. 

The music by the bands of the armed forces was pleasing. But the bill of fare at the refreshments comprised the same old, bland menu – insipid samosas and mushroom patties, tasteless tea and coffee. Variety and spice were missing.