In his obituary of Inder Kumar Gujral, Mark Tully refers to the former Indian prime minister's charm and persuasiveness. In 1996, I attended Chatham House in London where Gujral, then foreign minister, was to give a talk on Indian foreign policy and take questions from reporters. He looked worn out, having just returned from a bruising trip to the United Nations in New York. A vote on the comprehensive nuclear test-ban treaty had resulted in defeat for India at the General Assembly, where Delhi's only supporters in the motion were Bhutan and Libya; 158 countries opposed India's stance.
Prefacing his address, he said he would read out a speech "written for him by his officials". Asking the first question, I said that 158 for three more resembled a cricket score than a UN vote, and was not India therefore rather isolated on this issue? Feeling rather smug, I sat down to enjoy the fireworks. However, Gujral responded that, yes, Delhi did appear to be isolated on this question at the present time, but in the past, taking principled positions on difficult issues had in his opinion later been proven right, and India's stance had later become the mainstream view. The examples he gave were the Vietnam war and the Palestinian question. It was a gracious, elegant and statesmanlike reply, which I have never forgotten.