MOTORCADE FOR A CHIEF MINISTER

The busy dual highway which runs past the Guest House was completely silent - I was walking up to our University Freshers Party and it suddenly struck me that there was something undeniably wrong.  A street usually teeming with hawkers, rickshaw drivers, cars, buses and bikes, all with hooters blaring, was now completely silent.  Earlier I had seen someone with a wheelbarrow scattering white lime in a wide line along the side of the street, but then one sees so many things which are odd, I thought nothing more about it.   Cleared of all traffic, people walked silently down the street.  When I got to the University gates, I asked what was going on - was our Freshers Party a threat to National Security ? ' No, no', I was told, the Chief Minister of Gujarat will be passing on his way into the city.  Well I had to stay and watch.  After about 15 minutes the silence was broken by a motorcade of jeeps, ambulances and a variety of cars, driving at top speed.  A few minutes and it was over.  They had completely cleared the roads from the airport into town for the event !