Sunday, May 29, 2005
Sunday, May 29, 2005 |
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India & World
K.V. Prasad
A PROCLAMATION: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam tries to blow an alphorn, watched by his Swiss counterpart Samuel Schmid (second right), and his wife Verena Schmid (third right), in Iseltwald in the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland on Saturday.
ISELTWALD (SWITZERLAND): A sleepy village nestled in the Alps on the south shore of Brienz Lake came alive on Saturday when it received two of its most important dignitaries in several years — President Kalam and Switzerland President Samuel Schmid. Iseltwald, a picturesque tourist spot known as a picture postcard fishing village, is 60 minutes away from Berne and a gateway to Jungfrau, a scenic location in the Alps that Bollywood has immortalised. The village with a population of 410 was decorated with the flags of India and Switzerland put up at various locations. Children and adults turned up in their traditional dress and showcased the best of what the Swiss are known for — the music, the choir, the cow-bell chimes and the Alphorns. Mr. Kalam and Mr. Schmid winded their way through the village road dotted with houses and restaurants on one side and the clear emerald green lake on the other. The atmosphere was relaxed and both Presidents exhibited a rare camaraderie. At one point, Mr. Schmid crouched so that Mr. Kalam could rest an autograph book on his back. The book was thrust in his hand by an Indian family from Hyderabad touring here. For young Jasmine and Khusboo, daughters of Jayant K. Bhanushali and Preeti, it was an unexpected bonanza. "We were in the neighbouring village when we heard our President was to visit Iseltwald. This is an opportunity we may not get even in India," they said after Mr. Kalam obliged them with an autograph and a gift. Their father captured these rare moments for posterity on his camera. On his way to the pier for a cruise, Mr. Kalam stopped to hear the choir of the Yoddlers Club, patted a chubby child, posed for photographs with a Swiss farmer and his family and their goats. He went close to feel the long-winding Alphorns being played in his honour.
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