Talking head

The India-Thailand Business Conclave in Delhi on Tuesday was attended by the Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva and Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, so the business audience expected a lot of information on the Indian-Thailand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that is expected to be signed next year. Sharma, however, had other ideas. His speech harked back to the second century BC since when, he said, India and Thailand shared a common heritage. He then droned on about India's growth and how the global slowdown did not impact the country greatly. Not a word on the FTA or the ASEAN treaty — though his written speech did have a line on them. By the end of his speech, half the audience was sleeping and the other half talking on their mobiles. Only the Thai PM heard him out patiently.