For the love of poetry

Much to the consternation of his audience, West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi said on Sunday that he had "a long-time lover". At the launch of Sanchaita, a compilation of six of his books, Tripathi raised a few eyebrows when he said: "I have a confession to make. Since my student life, I have a lover - it is poetry. No matter how much I have ignored her, she has never deserted me." Dedicating the compilation to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he said: "Poetry comes to you naturally... That's why even while being engrossed in a charmless profession like law, I could find time for my beloved." Tripathi, who practised for a long time at the Allahabad High Court, was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly several times and has also served as its Speaker.