The phone on my desk at
The Hindu rang. It was Chirala Rama Rao, our Visakhapatnam staffer, calling my boss. Putting the call on hold, Rajendra Prasad turned to me and asked ‘the Defence Minister (PV Narasimha Rao) will be in the Andamans to inaugurate a facility of the Indian Navy. Will you handle it?’ With great effort, I restrained from screaming ‘yay’ and dancing on the desk. We at The Hindu were trained to look cool and unemotional like Jeeves. I was not surprised by the choice for the trip because I was known as the go-to man for any outstation or special assignment.