Dinner diplomacy

Last week, a private dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel in Mumbai got people talking — especially those who were not invited. Goldman Sachs and its top leadership in India led by Sonjoy Chatterjee had organised a bash for Romesh Sobti, managing director and CEO, IndusInd Bank. Bankers from rival organisations can easily be friends, you can argue. But others said that’s a rarity and, in any case, such relationships were unlikely to be expressed in gala dinners. Could Goldman be an advisor to IndusInd in its recent acquisition of Deutche Bank’s credit cards? Closer enquiry suggests there were none, which is why for all those who missed out on the laugh and the loaf, the dinner has indeed become food for thought.