Kinder, gentler

Pranab Mukherjee, once famous for his quick temper, is working hard to modify his behaviour as his journey to Rashtrapati Bhavan begins. The change in demeanour has been quite drastic. At a media gathering in the capital, Mukherjee apologised to the reporters and camera-men present and said he was reminded of their seniors who covered him during his five decades in politics, “I am sorry if I have inadvertently hurt any of you,” he said. Indeed, Mukherjee seems so eager to start his new innings on the right footing that he even distributed the Bengali sweet kanchagola to the assembled journalists.