Ignoring government?

The India visit of the Chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola, Muhtar Kent, made for front-page headlines. He had a crowded schedule; besides inaugurating the second season of Coke Studio India, he met a large number of leading Indians from all walks of life: Planning Commission member Arun Maira, R K Pachauri of The Energy & Resources Institute, World Wildlife Fund boss Ravi Singh, sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan, former cabinet secretary Naresh Chandra, educationist Shyama Chona and former CII boss Tarun Das, amongst others. He also met over 500 Coke employees at the ITC Maurya, accompanied by John Elkann Agnelli, the 40ish chairman of car maker Fiat, and major Turkish clothing retailer Omer Taviloglu. Oddly, no government leaders were on his itinerary — except for Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath, with whom he has developed a personal friendship after frequent meetings at the World Economic Forum in Davos.