An American entrepreneur missed a high-profile dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last night due to Delhi traffic. Sara Hooker shared her disappointment on social media
After being trapped in severe traffic in Delhi, the co-founder and CEO of Adaption Labs missed the dinner with PM Modi. Hooker earlier attended sessions at the India AI Impact Summit in Bharat Mandapam.
She returned to her hotel to change from casual jeans into formal clothes for the evening gala. It was meant for select global delegates and industry leaders.
However, when she tried to return to the venue, her car remained stuck in traffic for nearly 4 hours. Unable to reach on time, she finally canceled the plan and went back to her hotel room.
Hooker later shared her experience on Twitter (formerly X). She also shared a photo of the Indian meal she ordered through room service.
“I got the invite to the gala with the Prime Minister, but got stuck in traffic getting back to the venue after I changed into gala attire (changed out of my jeans),” she wrote.
“Would have been honored to attend. But after 4h in traffic was equally honored to sit down to really excellent room service at 11 pm,” she added.
Many social media users reacted to her post.
“Wow that sucks! Traffic is so bad in India lol,” wrote Sophont AI CEO Dr Tanishq Mathew Abraham.
“Welcome to India. We sit in traffic for 5 hours average everyday. This just shows India’s population, I always doubt China’s population numbers, their cities are always empty,” posted another.
“I feel conflicted. picky enough to not eat both the things, but now i am weirdly missing delhi’s food. Good on you to not post in Delhi evening time,” posted another.
Another user suggested, “Sara that doesn’t look good. Please get yourself a local person to make sure you have a great food experience in Delhi.”
“I ended up walking back through Delhi for 2 hours back to my hotel after; quicker than driving although I get an inquisitive monkey tracking me,” came from another.
Sara Hooker’s post was in reply to Subbarao Kambhampati’s post. The Arizona State University professor also missed the dinner. However, his reason was different.
“On my VIP armor front, I apparently did have a table seating for the PMO India summit dinner! However, the magical email that allows me in wasn’t sent. Too bad I missed catching up with Raj Reddy. I did instead have a lovely dinner with my friend and his family, so all’s well!” he wrote.
Delhi traffic
Traffic disruption in central Delhi affected many participants of the AI summit, not just Sara Hooker. Several guests said roads near Bharat Mandapam were blocked for VIP movement, forcing people to walk long distances.
The nearest Metro station was closed, and cabs were not allowed to enter the area. So, attendees walked for kilometers to find transport, according to HT.
Many shared complaints and videos on social media. Heavy congestion also built up around the venue and caused long delays for regular commuters. Some frustrated motorcyclists were seen crossing road dividers illegally to escape the jam, HT added.
