Shashi Tharoor is packaged just about perfectly. Representing the distinguished and dignified Modern Day Indian Politician, an even better communicator (orator / columnist / diplomat - who can convince you to join an engineering college and yet make you look forward to it, knowing well it is a second hell),and more importantly,he's perhaps India's most favorite tweeter - Thanks and Unthanks to Jacob Joseph.In an erudite discussion,during a tweet-up meet with Shashi Tharoor at Chennai , Excerpts from the interaction:
Scene 1 : Shashi Tharoor sits on this huge red chair,signing autographs for Shadows Across the Playing Field.
*ST surrounded by people,walking up to him,managing to get thru' the crowd*
ITW : Mr.Tharoor, a few questions ? Do I ask you now ?
*The Shashi Tharoor bass voice is heard*
ST :Your questions shall be posed inside the hall !
*looks down,signing autographs*
ITW: A photograph with you ? Possible ?
ST : You should,but after this !
*ST walks upto a group a women,assosciated with the Bharatanatyam dance programme to which he was invited;and poses for a couple of photographs*
-- Times Now hadn't broken news of Sunanda.So,I didn't make an attempt to search for her in the group --
Scene 2 :
Shashi Tharoor needs to be applauded for this. The efforts he takes to connect with the people, interact with them,up - close,and engaging in active discussions. I doubt if any other Indian politician carries it out in such a magnitude,with the exception of Rahul Gandhi who pulls off a stunt here and there. *salutes to ST*
*A spacious hall, thirty tweeple, and Shashi Tharoor at the point of intersection*
After excusing himself for his voice,and answering an array of questions ranging from his sons, books and political controversies ( Read Ram's post),
*points out to me*
ITW : A few questions, sir. Which Indian cricketer,present or past,would make a good commentator / writer ? *asked this keeping in mind his love for the game,and his skills with the quill*
--- Tom Alter had earlier answered Aakash Chopra / Sourav Ganguly---
ST : *laughs* How on Earth do I know that ?
ITW: Fine,then. I' ve always wanted to ask you this. You ve been an international diplomat. How does it feel like to be on par with the politicians in India who have criminal records against their name. I mean,some of them hold higher posts in Office,than you?
ST: You see,The United States regards the Indian National Congress as one of those few political parties which accommodate people, who ever they are. It's a kind of an amalgam of people of all classes. There are people from the reserved sections, different castes and religions. Some have risen from the grass root levels and reached the top . . .
ITW :Err . . . I'm perfectly fine with people who rise from the grass roots and reach the top. What I'm not fine with, is politicians *** ***** ****** for Rs.*** a vote and reach the top.And you know who I'm talking about!
ST:*laughs,again*I do.Well,that's not under my jurisdiction. I can't help working with them. Its up to the Prime Minister, actually I'll go on to say its up to the Congress President as far as forging allies is concerned. All I can do is,ensure that the people of my constituency, Trivandrum get a fair deal for voting me in.They have reposed their faith in me,and I have to repay them,back.
Towards the end of the discussion, Feroz Khan,pointed out to me,that no Minister has been elected consecutively to the Parliament from Trivandrum twice. Would be interesting to see what happens.
Oh,forget all other ST - Twitter controversies . The Shashi Tharoor - Lalit Modi face off is as intriguing as it can get. Two intersting angles, I came across.
1. Aravind Chandrasekaran says and I quote ,
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Here's my hunch about the whole issue: Rendezvous sports being a new comer and won the bid? It sounded murky to me then, all the more since Tharoor was with them. I feel there was deal on between Modi and Tharoor then to make Kochi win, which broke down later. So Modi comes out to make issue. Tharoor sends IT... See More to Modi, to grab any evidence against him as well as he knows Modi would have taken money in the past. So there cud be three endings. The dispute between Modi and Tharoor is sorted among themselves and soon they will quiet everyone including the media and you will wonder what happened to the issue. This seems unlikely as opposition as caught the opportunity well. So Tharoor will soon offer resignation with Sonia will accept to make sure Congress doesn't suffer and the issue will go into oblivion. Or Congress backs Tharoor and get the heck out of Modi and make Tharoor look like hero.
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A) The line in bold is to be noted - ST was asked by a reporter at the Tweet-up, "Do you tow with the idea of Kochi as an IPL franchise?"
ST: "I'm not towing with anything at the moment,except the bat(presented by Chennai tweeple) as off now. ( ST didn't leave the slightest hint, I repeat his communicating skills are worth more than his weight in gold.)
Now,rewinding to that answer,leaves me with more questions to answer about ST.
B)Modi and Tharoor - Yeah ? Possible. Sounds likely but I still believe that the dealings would have been fair and clean. It is alleged that Jacob Joseph was also involved in it. ST's Officer on Special Duty, now comes out with curt statements that Modi was a drug addict in his boyhood. Oh,yeah,he was. But Mr.Jacob,didn't all that strike your brain during the bidding ?
Jacob Joseph,again is a nice guy.No offense.Spoke with me for a few minutes, gave me his visiting card,asking me to call up anytime for help. Sticks to Tharoor always. But again, getting personal after all the happenings,knowing Modi's character well and before the process, is asking for trouble.
C) I doubt if ST would quit,unless he is forced to. Media trial would probably stop if Sachin Tendulkar scores a double ton for MI and things would die down. Speaking of things dying down, here is the second angle.
2. Creation of Solvable Crisis - Benedict Gnaniah.
Where the popular Social Media Enthusiast,an even better friend, in a brilliant post, stresses a very interesting point. ST,being Mos - External Affairs has staged all this along with the Congress, diverting The Opposition's attention from the bigger picture - Manmohan Singh selling India to Obama at Washington, consequently, signing the Nuclear Agreement.
I still have my doubts whether ST would stoop down to such a level. Being the author of thousands of pages of heavy text , an effective orator getting into trouble because of 150 characters and few conversations - Welcome to India.
Either ST is too much for India to handle, or India is too hot for ST to survive.
Both ways, we just can't afford to lose Shashi Tharoor, for the communicator cum administrator he is.
PS : "Yaaru Sir, Indha Figure - uh ? "
