“Why wasn’t the Greedy for Portfolios Samdhi (GPS) at the airport to welcome the Iranian Foreign Minister – a country which has good relations with India and…”
“Hey, I have it on good authority that there was a very high level meeting at the time.”
“How high level could it be? With his counterparty Samdhi? Or with the, how can I put it, stakeholders a grade above?”
“Just a grade?”
“I stand corrected — my reference was not to a higher grade, say from grade 17 to 18 or from 23 to 24…”
“There is no grade 23 or 24 I think.”
“That just goes to show how ill-informed you are. The ones who wear two hats are referred to as grade 23 and the ones who wear more than two are referred to as 24 and for your information the Brown Pope for all his contacts is grade 23 and the GPS is 24.”
“Two observations, my friend. There is one portfolio, just the one, that trumps grade 23 or 24 or higher, and it is a portfolio that does not require two hats, though some have donned another hat…”
“Shush… By your definition the Brown Pope is grade 23 I think. But I, for one, will be sad to lose him if he is declared the pope. I mean, if Trump has uploaded a photograph of himself in the Pope’s vestments…”
“Don’t worry – he is a very capable man, he will effortlessly wear three hats.”
“Don’t be facetious, anyway, GPS couldn’t personally welcome the Iranian foreign minister at the airport because he was on the phone to the Malaysian and…”
“Right, and let’s call a spade a spade – the guy is too old to go gallivanting around…”
“Except when his counterpart Samdhi or the prime minister are in an event where the media…”
“Hmmmm, one can see him hovering in the background.”
“Indeed, but the hovering is limited to grade 24.”
“Correct anyway, my second observation is that GPS and Brothers Sharif held a high level meeting where it was decided that GPS would welcome only those foreign visitors at the airport when the prime minister decides to personally welcome them…”
“Ooooh.”
“What?”
“Is that why there is talk of appointing another foreign minister, someone closer to the…”
“Such is the grapevine, let’s see.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025