Forget human beings, not even pigs and dogs were not allowed to enter the sanitised area where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi were scheduled to visit the health centre in Tembhali, a small tribal village in Maharashtra's Nandurbar district.
Even the media persons were made to undergo a rigorous security check drill -- they were checked and double-checked -- for the safety of the gathered VIPs.
It was under such a situation that a teenager Prashant Sadashiv Chaudhary from Surpan Taluka in Nadurbar's adjoining district Dhule, decided to travel more than 90 km and come to Tembhali.
From the day he learned that India's prime minister and Congress president were scheduled to set their feet upon Tembhali, this second-year student doing his Art Teachers' course from Dhule's Vispute College of Art began painting Dr Singh's portrait with vivid watercolours.
When the sun set over Surpan's horizon on September 27 the beautiful portrait was ready. The only thing unfinished then was to hand it over to Dr Singh. who this youngster adores as India's best prime minister yet.
But then fate had something else in store for him.
As he entered the high-security barricaded area Tembhali's health centre a posse of policemen stopped him in his stride. He was carrying Dr Singh's framed portrait in a plastic carry bag that caught their attention.
Without much ado the boy was taken far away from where Dr Singh was likely to arrive and asked to open his plastic bag.
When he told the cops that he wants to gift the portrait to his idol he was flatly asked to get lost.
Prashant's father then pleaded with this correspondent to request the police to let his son meet and present the love of his labour to Dr Singh.
"My son is very disappointed," he said. "Can't you help him?"
We could only assure him that we will write about it and told him to hope that Dr Singh will read about it and respond.
Will you, Dr Singh? We could give you his number.
Image: Prashant Sadashiv Chaudhary with the portrait of the prime minister
Photograph: Uttam Ghosh
