By Quaid Najmi
Mumbai, July 18 (IANS) US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had India’s head honchos completely bowled over during their meeting in the Taj hotel here Saturday, said top businesswoman Swati Piramal, one of those invited to the select gathering.

“She (Clinton) conquered everybody in one shot,” was how Piramal, vice chairperson of the Piramal Life Sciences and director Piramal Group, described the Clinton effect later to IANS.

Recounting the meeting, Piramal said: “We entered the Taj at around 8 a.m. for the business meeting. There was tight security.”

“All our hand bags and mobiles were checked. We were allowed inside the Golden Room of the old Taj heritage building, the scene of the terror attack last year. She (Hillary Clinton) greeted everybody very warmly and brief courtesies were exchanged, after which we sat down to a semi-round table discussion.”

According to Piramal, all the participants discussed about the various Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects they have undertaken through their respective trusts and social organisations.

“Each participant got an average of five minutes to speak. She would ask all of us brief questions.”

“She was very interested in education and health related issues and had wide ranging queries on technology and rural energy, alternative sources of energy and women’s education and health. But health and education were her primary interests.”

Clinton, who looked fetching in a red dress, spent a little extra time with some of the participants, including Piramal.

Piramal said she told the US Secretary of State that the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) “is the best regulatory agency in the world and we should explore ways and means of how India can take advantage of it”.

Clinton was “very warm and understanding and has a deep knowledge of the issues” that the head honchos were discussing.

Among the business persons present were Mukesh Ambani, Ratan Tata, Adi Godrej, Swati Piramal, Chanda Kochhar, Sudha Murthy, O.P. Bhat, A. Ganguly and Amrita Patel.

Each participant also gave Clinton a written presentation of their CSR project. The meeting lasted about an hour.