By Sanghita Singh
It’s another thing to indict the likes of Sant Chatwal in our country. But the role of Prince Michael of Kent – who has been in controversies in England about exploiting his royal position for personal financial gains – needs to be scrutinized as well. Michael of Kent’s financial credibility has been under fire in recent times and it is believed that even the rent for the royal apartments in which he lives was also reportedly paid by the queen until recently. In India the prince is close to many royal and political families. His daughter Gabriella is said to be dating journalist Tavleen Singh’s son and writer, Aatish Taseer. It is almost ironic that that the Prince, first cousin to England’s Queen Elizabeth, who continues to be embroiled in controversies back home, comes into India, visits the Chabad Nariman House with Israeli Consul General Orna Sagiv, and Rabbi Avraham Berkowitz, director of the Chabad Mumbai Relief Fund and makes a hefty donation (to rebuild the structure destroyed during the 26/11 attacks) without anyone batting an eye-lid. Maybe the Prince’s intentions are noble but someone needs to cross-check the viability of the 1,00,000 dollar cheque that Prince Michael presented to Rabbi Berkowitz on behalf of the DVK Foundation of which he is patron and donor.