He wakes up at 3:45 in the morning and immediately phones his domestic help at the ground floor downstairs for a cup of black tea. He finishes it and enters bathroom for a shave.
He then removes his night clothes and prepares to take bath. He never uses a shower and makes do with a bucket and mug (this odd habit has created many an embarrassment during his foreign visits).
He then puts on squeaky clean and properly ironed white daura suruwal and comes out. He takes an electrobion pill in the mouth and drinks a glass of jeevanjal. It’s six in the morning and he has to get his daily health checkup and physiotherapy.
It’s 6:30 and he takes his breakfast of omelette and toast on a table in his bedroom. He also takes two bananas and some cut pieces of seasonal fruits along with a glass of milk. Mango is his favorite fruit.
He then takes his regular dose of medicines and reclines on his bed for around half an hour.
Girijababu gets off after the nap and opens his television set at 7:30 to watch news. He talks with his personal assistant (PA), who tells him about the day’s schedule.
The PA also reads important news and editorials published in the daily newspapers to him. He takes particular interest in the editorials which he calls the mirror of newspapers.
He then starts meeting visitors from eight. The visitors can be anyone from ministers to bureaucrats and his party cadres.
He takes a light lunch at 11:30 in his bedroom. He starts with soup and has a few spoons of rice on a small bowl. He takes two pieces of meat, usually mutton or chicken, and a little boiled vegetables. He never misses meat and kurilo (asparagus) is his favorite vegetable. He also needs a little curd after each meal. He then takes a siesta till 2:30 in the afternoon.
He wakes up and phones his help for a cup of milk tea. He then goes to the meeting room after tea to meet visitors. He takes a glass of milk and a couple of biscuits in the meeting room at around 3:30 as the session with visitors runs till evening.
He then returns to his bedroom at six and starts the television set. He watches news programs and talks with his near and dear ones while watching the news.
He takes his dinner at eight in the evening. His dinner again consists of two pieces of meat, a little rice, and leafy and other vegetables.
He then takes his regular dose of medicines; the PA makes sure that he doesn’t miss any. He goes to bed by 8:30. One of the three PAs sleeps in his bedroom on rotation for emergency help.
(First published on Nagarik daily on August 1, 2009)
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