Trivial pursuits: Visits past, present and future

never in 30 years has there been any dispute about the colour of benazir's bell-bottoms when she accompanied her father to shimla in 1972. politicians and pundits prefer to quibble over the more momentous events that mark presidential visits. therein lies the importance of the unimportant. while historic accords invariably breed discord, trivia remains above it all -- pure, pristine, constant and free of rancour. without stretching the point further, here are some brain-teasers gleaned from frayed clippings and faltering memories. who was the first pakistani head of state to visit india? ayub khan, though it wasn't a visit visit. on his way to dhaka in the late '50s, ayub made a brief stopover in delhi to meet nehru. ``there will be no tashkent this time.'' thus spake who? president zulfikar ali bhutto, before arriving in shimla in '72. in 1965, the same bhutto, then foreign minister, was seen sitting aloof, blowing smoke rings during the signing ceremony at tashkent. ayub sacked him soon thereafter, though not for smoking in public places. when did bhutto first visit shimla? in 1947, as a young lad of 20 on a holiday. the next visit, of course, was strictly business. which head of state from islamabad visited india most frequently? zia-ul-haq, at least thrice in the eighties. his last visit -- for an indo-pak match in 1987 -- was the most memorable. oozing charm, the general arrived in jaipur all padded up for a game of cricket diplomacy. why did zia suddenly walk back into his plane after landing at jaipur airport? no, he hadn't forgotten the hair cream. it was simply for a photo-op with the indian air force pilots who had flown him in from new delhi. who said ``pehle aap'' to whom? mrs g to bhutto, bhutto to mrs g -- at the helipad in shimla on june 28, 1972. the debate was over who should get into the waiting limo first. a few moments passed by as the two kept repeating ``pehle aap'' to each other. mrs gandhi, as always, had her way. such nawabi courtesies have been seldom allowed to afflict relations between the two neighbours. what `sweet' connection did zia share with mrs gandhi? mangoes. the president used to send gifts of ratnamol, a hybrid variety of mango, to the prime minister's house on eid. mrs gandhi used to reciprocate with litchis. what, no alphonsos? where did bhutto stay during the five-day shimla summit? himachal bhavan, formerly called barnes court. the suite was personally refurbished by mrs g the evening before bhutto's arrival. ever the gracious hostess, she spent six hours rearranging the decor, getting curtains, carpets and furniture changed, well into midnight. what did mrs g present the 18-year-old beautiful benazir? two saris. gifts from other quarters: a silver filigree purse and a zari brocade stole. what did the horticulture department present benazir? twelve cans of peaches, 24 bottles of apple juice, mixed fruit jam and 12 tins of sarson ka saag. which famous ex-stephanian did they forget to invite at the college centenary celebrations in 1982? gen zia, who studied there from 1940-44. immensely proud of his st stephen's lineage, the president got himself invited anyway a few weeks later and was personally escorted around by the then principal, rev dr w.s. rajpal. how did zia trip up his alma mater's principal? while showing him the pictures of previous principals, dr rajpal got some of the names wrong. at which gen zia promptly proceeded to rattle off the correct names. and then he added smoothly: ``i am not surprised that you are not familiar with their names -- after all, you are not a stephanian!'' who visited ajmer before musharraf? zia, en route to jaipur. the entire delegation prayed for his long life, recalls a former indian diplomat. zia was killed in a plane crash the following year. what's the most famous building in agra that musharraf will be visiting? (this one could qualify as the first question to a kbc contestant.) taj mahal. what's the second-most famous place that musharraf will not be visiting? (hint: this is a no-brainer.) the lunatic asylum. (note: by all accounts the bell-bottoms were pink.)