London, May 09: Most amazing things happen in and to London. This is why the old blue-blooded Londoner used to say his city was a fountain of eternal youth. We may not agree to his description, after visiting all the old spots to which all of us are lured to by the British tourism.

But the fickle weather does keep the contour of our life and of the city's contour changing perpetually, some time to our utter delight.
The weather was supposed to be typically English, dark, gloomy days with drizzles. But, instead the sun has been shining and the parks are full of shrieking children jumping or running with their dogs making no less racket. It's like in Delhi in late November. May be summer this time is early.
The number of VVIPs, scheduled to come from India, has started to climb up. It does every year, as the clime there become to hot and sultry. So far we know three ministers will be here in May, so will a few senior bureaucrats. A bigger contingent might fly in, in June.
But, chief ministers appear to have learnt of the fatal effect a London visit has on their tenure. It was said, based on hard facts, that a London visit normally cost CMs their job. Those who learnt this at a high cost to themselves, included the late N T Rama Rao, Mulayam Singh and a few other chief ministers from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab and even the seemingly indestructible Laloo Prasad Yadav. In fact, he said that he had heard of the danger to a chief minister who "dared" visit London and that is why he went to the US first and then came to London. As things turned out he lost his chief ministership anyway. His safety measures did not help him.



Only one who escaped the London curse was Digvijay Singh. He came here twice, but he still is in charge of Madhya Pradesh. So is Capt. Amrinder Singh, but those who have get a thrill from the London curse point out that Mr Singh visited gurdwaras as well. That apparently helped him remain in power in Chandigarh. But, most CMs do not seem to take any risk. So there are no CM visits scheduled so far. It is better to endure the India's summer than risk the fatal effect of an Indian summer of London.