Happy, belated birthday

The country celebrates the birthday of India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, on November 14 as Children's Day. But some ministers seem to think it falls a month later. At a power ministry function on December 14, Sushilkumar Shinde, Union minister of power and Congress MP, told the audience, "Today is Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's birthday. On this day children of the country have gathered here to participate in a programme on 'National Energy Conservation Day'." The prime minister also attended the function. Clearly, no one had vetted Shinde's speech — or his speechwriter's general knowledge is as poor as his minister's.