Shobhaa De | Why Did Mumbaikars Go Gaga Over Prez Macron?

Actor Richa Sharma gushed over the 48-year-old President of France, as their eyes locked and meaningful conversation followed at a Bollywood-heavy luncheon hosted in honour of the visiting dignitary and his 72-year-old wife, Brigitte Macron, the First Lady of the French Republic. Richa declared unabashedly that the meeting was “as thrilling as it gets”, adding how Mr Macron, the “youngest President” (hope Brigitte wasn’t within earshot), was “more focused on solving issues than just listening to problems”. Richa wasn’t the only one gushing.

The generally hard-to-impress, blasé Mumbaikars were bowled over by the man who jogged into their hearts as he ran along Marine Drive accompanied by a small personal security team. Or so the story goes. A bit hard to believe a country’s President would spontaneously don sneakers, pull on a tee, jump into running shorts and take off for an energetic jog in public spaces, just like any ordinary tourist going for his daily fitness fix on Marine Drive.

No chance! Which host would permit such impulsive decisions from a visiting head of state, a key ally and a global leader?

I live nearby and had seen the route being hastily spruced up in advance. After Mumbai had finished going “awwwww” at the sight of President Macron, supposedly going incognito on a busy promenade, came

the news that our cops had cleared and sanitised the route, placing several men in plainclothes, along with commandos, even though the notice given to our chaps was short. Mumbai delivered. I happened to be celebrating a daughter’s birthday at the iconic Wasabi restaurant in the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, where the Macrons were staying. From our vantage perch next to the windows overlooking the jetty, we spotted (and brazenly took videos) of the First Lady heading out to sea with a small contingent of French security personnel. No fuss. No extra bandobast, no Black Cats, nothing… Dressed casually in tangerine colours, she could have easily passed for another elderly European lady keen to circle the harbour, maybe visit Alibagh or Elephanta Caves. This is the same jetty and the same speedboats used by top Bollywood actors, cricket stars and the city’s billionaires.

Those visits see the small jetty bristling with an army of Z-category SPG cops, heavily armed commandos, along with a phalanx of personal bodyguards. As the French say, “Vive la difference’’! Our two democracies operate on entirely different planes. But, that’s the beauty of the paradox!

As a sidebar: “Macron” is a much appreciated, delicate French sandwich cookie, with two smooth meringue-based almond flour shells filled with butter cream. Yummmmm! Crisp exterior, soft interior. Much like

Emmanuel himself -- right, Richa? Airy and melt-in-the-mouth, and not to be confused with a “macaroon”, which is a coconut cookie. We live and learn.

Apres Mumbai, it was Delhi’s turn to woo the Macrons. The hyped-up AI Impact Summit (tagline: “Welfare for all… Happiness of all”) kicked off smoothly… but for a major faux pas: we blatantly lied about the robot! We had the audacity to try and pass off a made-in-China robotic dog as the invention of local AI geniuses… the international community is having the last laugh at the monumental gaffe that occurred during the much-touted Expo. At the moment Galgotia jokes are ruling the Internet. Cartoonists like Sachin Acharya are having a blast, wondering whether the robodog’s asli identity was accidentally discovered when it barked in Mandarin. The clumsy coverup is underway, and as is our habit, a convenient fall guy has been identified. The axe will fall on the unprotected head of a junior professor at Galgotia University who had not been “briefed”.

Even if one buys this gauche explanation, questions still remain. Where were his seniors while such a serious goof-up was happening at an international event with the high and mighty of the AI universe present? Was there no screening process? Better scrutiny? How come Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union IT minister, promoted the Chinese dog (he later deleted his tweet)? Day One was declared a disaster, with poor management and rough handling of what was billed as India’s triumph.

The rush to participate in the global event was so great that hotel rates in Delhi went up to Rs 10-15 lakhs a day! Then came the Galgotia Kutta embarrassment. Hello! Remember a similar robodog has been paraded on major red-carpet events by fashionistas like our very own super-glam IT tycoon, LA-based Mona Patel. Now we are in a dog-eat-dog situation. Should we just let barking dogs bark?

Merci Beaucoup, Bill Gates, for abruptly pulling out of the AI Summit, and sparing us the effort to “make nice” with someone so deeply implicated in the notorious Epstein Files. All your billions would not have insulated you from facing our outraged press.

Politics in Maharashtra is taking a dramatic turn, with the NCP demanding a thorough probe into the tragic crash of a Learjet in Baramati, when the state lost a dynamic, blunt-speaking neta, who was expected to lead the beleaguered state in the near future. Universally known as “Dada”, Ajit Pawar’s style of functioning obviously did not sit well with rivals who found him a bit too ambitious for his own good. Whether or not his nephew Rohit Pawar is pressing for a probe to further his own political dreams, the more important issue is this: if sabotage can be established beyond reasonable doubt by non-partisan bodies and experts, there will be a major shakedown and several takedowns, too. There are far too many unanswered questions, and as it happened in the case of the terrible Air India crash that took 241 lives in 2025, the dead pilots in both crashes are being made the fall guys. This is not just unfair, it is criminal.

Mumbai is a restless, impatient city, much like Ajit Pawar himself. Answers are being demanded… but there’s no one to provide them.

Sunetra Pawar, Ajit Pawar’s widow, is busy getting used to her brand-new political position as the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra. Even though, in principle, she has joined the demand for a thorough CBI investigation into her late husband’s unfortunate death in the Baramati plane crash, there are other important matters of state that demand her presence and attention.

In such a suspended state of uncertainty and suspicion, the hoopla generated by current heartthrob Monsieur Macron as he jogged into the hearts (and arms) of melting Mumbaikars, came as a much needed

distraction from the daily woes borne by a metropolis that deserves better.