Suited and sweating

A common sight at industry events is India Inc's captains, save Rahul Bajaj and a handful of others, dressed in dark suits. The annual general meeting of the Confederation of Indian Industry wasn't much different, except that at the crumbling Ashok Hotel in Lutyens' Delhi, the air-conditioning could barely keep up with the crowds clamouring for a view of the rich and powerful. Invitation cards casually turned into hand fans and, under the arclight, Industry Minister Anand Sharma, also in a suit, was forced to dab his sweaty brow more than once. It was simply the stuffy room, it is hoped, not the worries of kick-starting a growth engine that is running out of fuel.