The Sangh Parivari also communicated the "best wishes" of a senior member of the union cabinet who was reportedly "upset" at the way in which the reshuffle of senior secretaries was carried out. According to visitors to the Sarma household, Mr Sarma's phone never stops ringing. Greetings and support have come from many quarters including ministers, senior officials and senior defence officers. Wonder why the armed forces are expressing solidarity with Mr Sarma?

Too upright
Since official uprightness and its rewards are in the news these days, sample this one. "You are an honest and efficient officer but you lack the flexibility to accept the political wisdom," said union food minister Shanta Kumar to P Shankar on the eve of the secretary (now former) in the ministry being shunted out.

Mr Shankar's crime: advising the minister not to relax paddy procurement norms in Punjab or go for any special package that would burden the FCI and inflate the subsidy bill.

Mr Shankar invited such wrath that Punjab chief minister Prakash Singh Badal urged the prime minister to transfer and replace him by Rishi Dev Kapur. Not to be left behind, Mr Shanta Kumar in turn suggested to the PM that Mr Shankar is well placed to be petroleum secretary as he can handle Mamata Banerjee's demand for a roll-back in the petro product price hikes!u