R.Equally, it is not clear how the IB ministry missed taking action on the letter from the President’s office about his one-hour ceiling. The IB minister. We will be watching. But Ms Irani taking the blame does not explain the President’s one-hour condition. And she doesn’t, if her conduct in the past is anything go by, doesn’t much care. The postman, too. Most of the others boycotted the event as they found they would be receiving their awards from Smriti Irani or her junior colleague Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.This is not a totally bad thing to happen. The artistes — except the 11 who were presidentially honoured — later wrote a letter of protest to, ironically, the President himself. Since it is official business, the courier agency would be Speed Post. Some sort of casteism, in keeping with the Hindutva ethos now sweeping the nation, must be at work. It also says something for the general lack of fellowship among the artistes themselves — the President’s Eleven did not sign the protest letter.

Rahman and Yesudas, were chosen to be honoured by the President himself. It just means that the idea of the awards is being democratised. Or the postman. The artistes would surely have understood. But this once, she was not directly at fault, though her department might be for overlooking a communication sent from the office of India’s President Ram Nath Kovind. In effect, the best of the national filmmakers would be accepting their awards at the hands of the local postman. The bureaucrats.Information and broadcasting minister Smriti Irani is not a pleasant person by any account.As it happened, out of the 70-odd award winners, 11, including A. On May 2, Ms Irani invited more wrath as the National Film Awards function which is her jurisdiction went off the rails. There will be other events. The police constable. The liberals, who erupted in the social media in indignation following the incident, are happy.Meanwhile, consider this sentence from the letter that President Kovind’s office sent to the IB ministry: "The President attends all awards functions and convocations for a maximum of one hour. The President’s office said, Super ELF for sale in a communication after the disastrous event, that the letter on the one-hour condition had been sent to the IB ministry as early as March. But it is not fair to tarnish the minister just because she is eminently tarnishable. Crores, in fact. It might be then a good idea if what is saved is sent to the poor artistes, quite a few of whom live and die in straitened circumstances.

It also means that not much importance needs to be attached to these honours.” Why? Aren’t the people to whom he is accountable entitled to know? Does the President suffer from a weak bladder? Possible. The media is happy. The latest episode in this serial is that the awards will arrive at the protesters’ door by courier. No action was taken in good time on the import of the letter.

It is not clear if it was addressed personally to Ms Irani. They might be handed over by the President. No matter.Traditionally, the President gives away the awards.. If so, why not saysimply that he will be unable to be present for the May 2 evening because of poor health. In the Age of Dumbing Down, what could be more just than equating the President of India with the Postman of India, that unsung, if endangered, species?If all the awards — fixed and unfixed — arrive by Speed Post, the endemic lobbying for these awards, in a country that is not particularly bothered about merit in general, might ebb, and we will be saving a great deal of money. But a letter, according to reports, from Mr Kovind’s office had been sent to the IB ministry which stated that it was the pleasure of President Kovind to grace all awards functions for a maximum of one hour.It is not clear how the President’s 11 were chosen.As it is, Smriti Irani has taken the blame for what seems to me a case of of overlook by the bureaucrats in her department

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