CHENNAI: On his maiden visit, Hugo Swire, Minister of State in Charge of Foreign and Commonwealth Office, United Kingdom, expected a cultural treat, but what he never saw coming was to find historic scrolls of King George the Third dating all the way back to 1770 AD.
Addressed to the the Nawab Muhammad Ali Wallajah of the Carnatic, the great ancestor of the Prince of Arcot Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali, the blast to the past during his brief time at Amir Mahal was nothing short of fascinating.
This was during a reception hosted by the Prince of Arcot, in honour of Swire who was accompanied by British High Commissioner to India, Sir Dominic Asquith. The British Deputy High Commissioner to Southern India, Bharat Joshi, was also present on the occasion.
The visiting dignitaries commended the Prince for his social service, particularly, in the promotion of communal harmony, secularism and national integration, in this part of the country.
Among other guests who were present at the event were members of the diplomatic corps, bureaucrats, educationists, businessmen and prominent personalities from various walks of life, belonging to different communities.