As pound falls, London is calling...

We said goodbye to Navtej Sarna, India’s high commissioner to the UK (or the Court of St. James, to give the posh title). He had been here less than a year but is off to a bigger and better position in Washington D.C. as India’s ambassador. He remarked that given his short tenure, perhaps it was not worth the expense for India House to have his portrait hung along with all the other high commissioners. He was reassured that he was not alone in his short stint; three others had a similar short spell. But then it is among the most coveted jobs in town...

Even in the short time, Mr Sarna made his mark. He was chosen by the diplomatic community to do a reading from Shakespeare in celebration of the 400th death anniversary of the Bard. It was one author’s tribute to another. Mr Sarna also saw during his short tenure the biggest earthquake in British politics — Brexit. He firmly denied, though, all responsibility for causing it!

(Well, one of the special reasons this diarist has a fondness for Mr Sarna is that he is contributing towards the Partition Museum, at Town Hall, Amritsar. The soft launch of the museum is in a week’s time. Like so many Indians around the world, he understands the value of preserving precious memories of the world’s largest migration before it is too late. He is donating an entire precious handwritten manuscript of a short story penned by his father on the Partition to the museum, as well as an oral history.)

As for us Londoners, Brexit continues to take over our lives. The pound has dropped by a fifth and the crash was audible. The impact of the falling pound has been felt sharply at last. Remember Marmite, that salty and sharp tasting spread for toasts and biscuits? It is something you either love or hate, but it is a national favourite. Now with a falling pound, Unilever wants to put up its price. There was a sharp reaction from Tesco who refused and threatened to pull it off its shelves when the old price items ran out. Headlines followed, the stock market marked the price of Unilever shares down and soon peace prevailed. Marmite will be still available, for a while at the old price. It will go up sooner rather than later. Fuel prices are going up too.

But the falling pound is helping foreigners to enjoy London. It used to be worth at least '100 — now it is worth only '82. So Indian tourists will celebrate Diwali in London in style. There is a lot to do and see. At the north end of Trafalgar Square we have exhibitions on Caravaggio and Picasso cheek by jowl. There is the London Film Festival and many plays, to say nothing of spending sprees at Selfridges and Harrods. And, of course, there will be Diwali at Trafalgar Square, with a Muslim mayor presiding. Multi-cultural London at its best!

Meanwhile, could Prince Harry have something in common with our very own Deepika Padukone? Both have been very interested in mental health issues — and, in fact, Prince Harry is also campaigning to raise awareness of these problems. So he was on London Eye along with William and Kate, who are doing their bit for the cause as well. What really caught the eye, however, was Kate’s £428 dress designed by Kate Spade, whose dresses are worn by Taylor Swift and Michelle Obama. A good way to get rid of depression.

Talking about depression, there was alarm and panic at the London Zoo last week, when Kumbuka, the 29-stone gorilla, escaped on Thursday afternoon. Visitors had to find shelter where they could in case he came upon them. It took 90 minutes to get him back in the cage but unlike Cincinnati Zoo, which shot their gorilla Harambe, London zookeepers managed to get Kumbuka back peacefully. He had not gone far but just to a secure area where the keepers stay. After a tranquilising dart they got him back. They said he was unhappy and frustrated, banging against his glass window before he escaped. May be he has mental health issues? Hmm...

While the much reviled Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has won the election yet again, Edward Balls, former Labour MP, has proven that there is life after the Labour Party. He is an incompetent dancer but the public either appreciated him greatly for displaying his two left feet, or they were simply curious to see what former politicians can get up to. Last Sunday he attracted 10.9 million viewers, a record for Strictly Come Dancing. By all accounts his popularity is leaping up! Politicians can dance! But we always knew that, didn’t we?