Prince Charles with
Reshma MalhotraIts not everyday that we get to rub shoulders with royalty. For Reshma Malhotra too, organising Prince Charles recent visit to India was a first.

Yet, the 31-year-old managing director of Milk Corporation handled the occasion with ease. We spoke to the Saraswati Road resident about attending to a head of state.

A two-year-old company, Milk Inc was roped in to make the arrangements for the visit when Punjab Agro, the company theyre working closely with, invited them to co-ordinate and manage the event. But wasnt it a daunting task, considering they had just 20 days to complete everything?

It was not easy. We had to take care of everything from teaching the women attendants to courtesy, and the male attendants to bow, and getting the temperature of the champagne right, she explains.

The almost 100-member strong team arranging the event also had to take care of little things like reminding everyone to address him as Your Highness. We roped in Olive to do the food, because we wanted the absolute best, she adds.

So what were her impressions from the Princes visit? I must say that he was extremely courteous, polite and charming. Also, he did a fair bit of walking around in very sensible and no-nonsense flat shoes, she laughs, citing how when he was presented with a diamond after he broke the coconut at the inauguration, he said he would continue breaking more coconuts if hes get diamonds every time he did so in India.

According to Malhotra, the Prince was very happy with the treatment he received. In fact, Milk has now been asked to prepare the Royal Archives of the visit, giving Malhotra more reason to smile.

sowmya.rajaram@mid-day.com