ET GBS: Large foreign contingents were intent audience at high-octane sessions

NEW DELHI: If morning shows the day, the escalator leading down to the Durbar Hall at the Taj Hotel showed the way for guests thronging to attend the second ET Global Business Summit.

On its first day, the GBS clearly had a feel of going-out-clubbing to it. Except that instead of bouncers at the door, there was the SPG.

And instead of bright things lining up for a night out in town, there were bright sparks in suits, boots and saris filing their way to listen in on high octane sessions discussing India in the world.

Reflecting the global nature of GBS, a large contingent of foreign delegates was visible across the hall — a group from China taking notes as if their economy depended on it.

Smartphones were raised at various points to take and tweet photos of panelists, that became a Mexican wave of hands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi walking in — after being introduced by the strains of Beethoven’s Moonlight sonata (the theme tune in the GBS ad).

A Russian delegation made its presence felt not just by the group tweets it was sending out, but also by the earphones wrapped around their heads, the source of whose content became clear once one saw the lady (literally) quietly sitting in the interpreter’s box at the back of the Durbar Hall.

What she made of the Prime Minister’s witty asides in Hindi during his speech in English, non-Russians at the venue will never know.

Nonetheless, a great day of summitry can only end with great food and libations. While wine and whiskey lubricated the conversations at tables and huddles, the fare set at the long tables made for much more than food for thought.

One of the most endearing moments perhaps at the gala dinner was Nassim Nicholas Taleb, energised by a glass of fine red, running after the man with the tulsi aur kali mirch ka paneer tikka.

But then, what else would one of the world’s leading risk analyst do at the ET Global Business Summit? At least the day before he gets up on the podium.