By IANS,
It was their first direct taste of the media. Nearly two dozen probationers of the elite Indian Foreign Service (IFS) batch 2009 faced some journalist interrogators at a mock briefing.
In a drill organised by the publicity division of the external affairs ministry, each of these budding diplomats had to take turns at posing as the official spokesperson and answer tricky and delicate questions. These ranged from the future of composite dialogue with Pakistan and the course of boundary negotiations with China.
Some of them showed signs of stage fright, some stammered, but most seemed to have learnt the tricks of the trade fast enough. “We will get back to you with more details,” was their stock reply to many questions, triggering peals of laughter from journalists.