One-way interaction

Usually, it is finance ministry officials who come to Mumbai to talk to fund managers and analysts. So, when Veerappa Moily decided to hold an interactive session with them in the country's commercial capital - a first for the petroleum ministry - analysts came in large numbers. But the session was anything but interactive. First, the minister arrived over an hour late and, second, it was mostly one-way traffic. The minister, his secretary and joint secretary made long, repetitive speeches. After that, ONGC, the sponsor of the evening, made a presentation. Considering that it was well past 9.30 p m, the presentation, which started with an account of Bombay High and then went on to why ONGC deserved Maharatna status, encouraged many among the audience to troop out of the hall. The Q&A session started only after that but the moderator stopped it after just two questions on grounds that the minister had had a long day and would answer questions at the next morning's media conference anyway. An analyst was heard saying he now knows why foreign oil companies think India is the best destination to avoid.