The lady at the other end of the phone was known to me. She had called apologetically on a Saturday afternoon to say the minister was keen on getting a presentation by the Azim Premji Foundation on a stated topic. The meeting was on the following Monday in Delhi and the education ministers and secretaries from all the states were invited. The detailed agenda was being structured. Since she knew that the notice was grossly insufficient, she left it to me to decide whether I would myself be present or would depute someone who could deal with the subject. Fully aware that this was unfair to everyone attending the meeting, she was not in a position to say so to the minister.
Given the importance of the subject and the kind of audience, we had no option but to alter our schedule and make it possible to attend. This sort of thing happens quite regularly.