Shashi Tharoor is turning out to be the darling of Indian press. Be cautious! When you become the toast of the media you naturally find yourself staring at a big ugly canon because our mediafolks have never a good word to say about anybody or anything, unless you are a bollywood superstar. And the Trivandrum MP has had a fairly rough induction into his new career as an Indian Parliamentarian, pretty rough.
Dr.Tharoor's trackrecord in India exhibits one clear prominent feature. His ability to rake up controversies. It started the very day his name was announced as the contestant to New Delhi from Trivandrum. From the burning of his effigy by his own partymates to the National anthem controversy, he emerged all flags flying, amidst personal attacks pertaining to his American Connection, Israel soft-corner, literary works, Canadian wife and affluent lifestyle, one accusation outdoing the next in absurdity and stupidity.
His life as an MP and Minister kick started with questions raised about his 'strange' hobby of Tweeting. This came from people who didn't know if Twitter was an animal or a bird. Tharoor's clarification was nodded to by everybody. The mooncalf journo who tried acting the smartass had his ass kicked and the matter was laid to rest. Then came the tiff with the losers at Trivandrum DCC and also a poke- poke back with the NSS. Nevertheless Tharoor won Round One 21-0.
The recent Five Star Hotel issue (or rather should I call it the non-issue?) brought the man again back in frame. It all began with a laughable Austerity Drive by the Congress head honchos by gimmicks like travelling in the Economy Class on flights, cutting down needless expenditures and so on. Laughable, because crores are spent on managing these palatial ministerial bunglows at the taxpayer's expense and Highway Minister Kamal Nath was on a glob-trot for no reason with accomodation in Five-Diamond rated Hotels..I don't know on whose bright head this austerity bulb flashed first but I can tell you where this is headed. Are all our politicians going to travel in the Economy Class forever? Haaaaaah, I'd bet my house on them moving on to the posh upper zones in a hurry, by citing security reasons and whatever crap they could think of. But Tharoor lost a few personal points in this political ploy when he was asked to vacate the Hotel suite where he was staying by paying from his own pocket!
It all started when Tharror responded to a friendly light-sided tweet from Mr.Kanchan Gupta, Associate Editor of the Pioneer. His tweet was as follows: (Sept 14, 11:27am)
@ShashiTharoor Tell us Minister, next time you travel to Kerala, will it be cattle class?
Tharoor, as whimsical as he is responded in a so-so manner.
@ Kanchan Gupta, absolutely, in cattle class out of solidarity with all our holy cows!
And Kanchan Gupta followed it up with the safe-journey wish. (note the emoction) (Sept 15, 10:11pm)
@ Shashi Tharoor, Have a nice journey. And since there is no austerity out there, have fun.. :)
Now, I first heard about this issue when a friend of mine pinged me about this in Gtalk. He asked me if I had heard what Dr. Tharoor had just said. On briefing me, I just asked "What! Did he really say something like that!?" My initial stress was on the 'holy cow' part of it becuase it, in all probability, was meant to aim the Congress think tanks and it wouldn't be digested well.
The indigestion would be for a few good reasons. First it would be interpreted as a poke at the "Austerity campaign" undertaken by his party bosses. Secondly the humour element in a harmless off-topic conversation between two individuals would be dissociated when the Press and public interpret his words. Lastly and most obviously, English is not the first, or even the second language of a mammoth chunk of our countrymen and Tharoor's colloquial Oxford English usage won't be taken in the exact sense a Scottish teenager would've seen it.
That's exactly what happened here. Lost in translation, lost in context...
In all fairness to Tharoor, Cattle Class is an accepted and widely frequented synonym for Economy Class travel. Tharoor used it as a run-of-the-mill response, remember, but this is where the words and phrases find new and out of context meanings when in translation.
Remind you of something? The now infamous 'dog remarks' by Kerala CM Comrade Achutanandan. Same settings, same ploy, same error.. Now if Achumama was wrong there, Tharoor is wrong here. You take out the 'if' from the previous sentence, it still holds its fact, sadly.
What I understand from this is that you needn't be wrong to be deemed wrong. The omnipresent television folks are ready to spring upon anything, and under the present Indian circumstances the media verdict is kinda interpreted as the people's opinion. Doesn't matter if you're right or wrong, what the media vomits and excretes are sacred offerings... Our billion-strong population can very well be taken for a ride, like the ongoing China-India war! I don't know whats going on there, do you?
A high profile personality like Shashi Tharoor is always under the microscope. It is news if he says something, its news even if he doesn't say anything. So when he rather speak, he may well weigh his words before letting it out. His tweets are for me, you and the whole world to see. So as a man of high honour it may well be prudent if Dr. Tharoor pays a little more attention to his words and deeds. Sadly, humour sense and common sense is not something very common in our set-up, as he has learned the hard way.
I hope senses prevail among the leaders and Tharoor not be reprimanded for being witty. He is a league ahead of some of the mainstream leaders we got up there and perhaps that's his main fault: being ahead of the curve. And as for Dr. Tharoor, he may better learn this lesson well, and quick!
Update 18/09/2009 0330 hrs IST
-----------------------------------------------
What began in Twitter hopefully will end in Twitter. Shashi Tharoor has expressed his regret and apologies for the inattentive(!) and insensitive(?) use of jargons. From Twitter:
learned belatedly of fuss over my tweet replying to journo's query whether i wld travel to Kerala in "cattle class". His phrase which i rptd
it's a silly expression but means no disrespect to economy travellers, only to airlines for herding us in like cattle. Many have misunderstd
i'm told it sounds worse in Malayalam, esp out of context. To those hurt by the belief that my repeating the phrase showed contempt: sorry
i now realize i shldnt assume people will appreciate humour. &u shouldn't give those who wld wilfully distort yr words an opportnty to do so
And as an explanation to his "holy cow" usage, Tharoor replies to the querry of a fellow tweeter.
@dilnawazpasha holy cows are NOT individuals but sacrosanct issues or principles that no one dares challenge. Wish critics wld look it up
So Dr. Tharoor, hope the ones crying for your blood will be satiated by this. And appreciate the courage shown to accept the tactical or political error you've commited. You said it, ours is not a funny country and we have to live with it.
Suggested reads on the same issue.
Its a joke, you stupid cretins!
Congress's sense of humour is pathetic
Austerity 09: Random thoughts
A Cattle-class country?
I'm sure Tharoor will learn a lesson better late than never after this controversy! Your report is a more researched one.
ReplyDeleteBTW if I am not incorrect the twitter question for this reply related to the Kerela visit! The question has replied at 15 sep 12.17 am and the Liberia query was 15 sep 9.51 pm [I hope both are using the Indian standard time in settings]! I also was confused for some time or am I wrong?!
SG,
ReplyDeleteYou got you facts wrong a bit on what the question was.
Question asked by @KanchanGupta
http://is.gd/3mFNp ,
Answered by @ShashiTharoor http://is.gd/3mFOX
-Nikhil
Talk of illiterates and semi-literates! That Jayanti Natarajan wanted Tharoor's job is known to most.
ReplyDeleteIndia does not deserve the likes of Tharoor yet. We need more Pappu Yadavs.
@ Santhanu, I agree that he is politically wrong here but let not he be crucified for a casual witty talk, and that too on Twitter of all places! I've followed my heart here Santhanu, even though I feel it will be prudent if he issues an apology, the simple reason being the India was live in is not on Twitter. and I don't want him to be disliked by the masses for this one reason. Afterall he is better than ALL the politicians we know, I hope you'd concur.
ReplyDeleteSo why don't we give him time to learn the game? I'm sure in the long run he will be hugely useful for our city, state and the country and lets not commit the mistake of forming an opinion in 3-4 months time. :)
@ Vikas, you're right man, the error is mine. thanks for Nikhil for clearing things up. In fact the time on those tweets had me confused as well. ;)
@ Nikhil, Thank you boss! I've corrected the article :)
Shashi Tharoor is also my favourate politician.In fact what i feel is ,we should have more, educated and sensible politicians like him instead of 4aam classum gusthy and all.
ReplyDeleteHere the main thing is many local and national politicans(from his same party) are jealosy about Mr.Tharror growth(in such a short time ,he become MP and Minister) and also he is getting lot of media attention despite to others(@American Connection, Israel soft-corner, literary works, Canadian wife...may god forgive those idiots)
@Five star issue----Don't understand why media is making so much buzz about it, though he himself is paying all the bills (unlike looting tax payers money)
@ Twitter ---He got a good sense of humour....even i enjoyed those tweets.But as a high profile guy and a person who is always under media's scan,he should have to be careful while making public statements(and also as you said ,humour sense and common sense is not something very common in our set-up).
In between anish,are you following paul muthoot case(and also pinaryude mandatharangal in the same).heard latest sensation/punch dialogs in kerala are 'kottation jokes' :)
Well said scorpio..
ReplyDeleteWhat irks me the most is the fact that there have been calls for disciplinary action against Tharoor! What hypocrisy! If this is the crime for which Tharoor shuld be punished, then there are politicians (in the same party itself) who would need seven lifetimes to atone for all their sins!
The austerity drive in itself is a joke. How does going in Shatabdi or economy class become a sign of austerity when you live in palatial houses attended to by an army of attendants? And all that is paid for by the taxpayer's money. At least Tharoor is spending from his own pocket? What now, people can't have aspirations?
Media is equally to blame for making news out of personal chats/tweets. It's not like he made the joke publicly. Guess the debate will now be what is public and what is private. Rather is there anything called private space in twitterverse?
Man, these media sucks BIG TYME!! Twitter is not the place you go and seach for official dialogues. Two friends cant have friendly laugh-talk in this country?
ReplyDeleteGreat Hindustan Times reported that Shashi Tharoor has 5000 followers when he really has 1,60,000! And now they creating atom bomb explosion about a simple tweet, and nothing to worry about more in this country? And totally agree with all the rest of your points.
Im feeling sad for our newspapers and channels man. I've been following your blog for an year and more, what u wrote in the old post about Channels and Newspapers are absolutely true. Biggest losers in India!!!
Liked ur comparison to the VS issue.. nd it is just the same. another quote taken out of context only to create mischief.. while I am not a great fan of Tharoor, I blv he is ruffling some feathers and hence he is at the end of the party’s baton. Guess some bigwigs cannot stand the rise of Tharoor… read that Tharoor has asked for a revamp of the MEA itself.. guess the party feels that he is becoming too hot to handle :)
ReplyDelete@ A Stotic, well said man. To act crazy over this kind of a thing...sensationalization...
ReplyDelete@ Anish Thomas, No man, I'm not following the Muthoot case on every minor detail. Not too interested in the biography of some goondas and criminals. Let the media carry on the holy work...
@ Layman, this Austerity drive is just an eyewash to impress the electorates in the upcoming Assembly elections. Its a big joke, and Tharoor just used his own lighter way to express it. But...
@ Prasobh, thanks for the appreciation. oh, if we start talking about the professionalism of these professional journos then this one page won't be enough.
@ HK, surely the media attention a newbie like Tharoor attracted has irked some talentless leaders. They cant digest his popularity and trendy new methods which attracted millions of admirers. Hope he wouldn't be made a scapegoat to satisfy a few born-losers in the Congress Party
Tharoor is in the news for the wrong reason again. I guess he should 'learn' to be a politician. To be silent when provoked ! :)
ReplyDeletethe high command would have heard 'cattle' 'cow' and 'class' mixed with 'holy' and they reacted to it.
Anyways whats with this austerity drive anyway? like
Rahul took the train to save costs.~50 media reporters, ~10 SPG & ~10 aides booked tickets. .. Train was stoned. save=500Rs loss=30k lol
I wish our politicians would start delivering and stop tweeting. My respect for Shashi Tharoor would grow only if he does what he got the votes for. And for not one moment I believe his hotel bills are paid by his own money.
ReplyDeleteThanks to u for making the whole issue clear. I dint care to read the newspapers on this cos I was sure that most of that cant be trusted...
ReplyDeleteCan't believe that such a harmless comment was taken out of context and made such a big issue...
I guess he needs to be a 100 times careful than us normal tweeters when he post some casual comment in twitter..
Aparna, you can file an RTI on that if you doubt it! I don't think he can lie through his teeth like that!
ReplyDelete:) Even if you are Bollywood superstar, you can't escape the press!
ReplyDeleteTharoor is now representing an entire district. So, he should be more careful about what he tweets. It is an unfortunate side effect of the career he chose.
@ Xylene, hahaa how true! And they arrested some kids for throwing stones at the train. The poor hapless public will have to put up with these politicos and their supporters even on trains and economy class now.. Full time invasion!
ReplyDelete@ aparna, I concur with what Vikas has said, why not approach Right-to-Information section and correct your dis/mis-beliefs?
I understand the reason behind your distrusting politicians. We're all regularly exposed to compulsive liars as our leaders who open their holy mouth just for uttering 100% pure lies. So an honest man like Tharoor will be seen on the same lines by many. Not his fault!:)
@ Praveen, I'm sure he will be doubly careful in future. That is evident from the apology tweets he issued. Hope you've seen the updated post.
@ Vikas, +1, Aparna will realise the truth sometime, if she really wants to.:)
@ Nona, rather lets say its a side effect of being ahead of times. The bad timing of this tweet in conjecture with the oncoming Assembly elections is probably what flared up the Congress.
Good to read that you also have taken up the latest topic.
ReplyDeleteHello, thank you for the link back.
ReplyDeleteWhile i think that the minister should excercise caution, i also think that he has, unnecessarily become the whipping boy for IE !
and it acutally goes back to before he got nominated - there is a headline that went "Wannabe Candidate Tharoor ready for challege " with all the negative connotations that the head line carries (do a search for it :)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHey, so many Tharoor supporters. Even I was appalled at the stick the man has been getting. Anyone with a wee bit of humour would go "holy cow" when confronted with such a cattle of a query. I have a post on it too, albeit, a wee bit different.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the first incident - his hotel stay. I would appreciate the fact that he was spending for the hotel bill from his own pocket. People have been making remarks about living a different life. But as long as he spends for his requirements on his own, it is not a problem. But the problem was in his saying that he wanted privacy. That is not acceptable. Congress workers and common people are the only ones who would possibly visit Tharoor at Kerala House. And what more can we say if he wants privacy from them all.
ReplyDelete@ Chowlaji, welcome here :)
ReplyDelete@ Harini, your post was an eye opener! I never noted the flow of water under the waves, nice work there.
@ Dreamer, a wee-bit different? I believe you've got it all wrong there. Sorry.
@ Sreejith, may be because we don't fully understand the 'privacy' concept. No politician is a 24X 7X 365X 5 years person, in person. Tharoor deserves his time to rest and have his personal time which all other politicians avail of. Only thing is that he spoke about it openly, but in no way does it mean that he is insulated from people. Afterall Sreejith, this Hotel stay was only a short affair and Tharoor himself cleared out of the Taj as early as Sept 1, long before this issue propped up.
@ Scorpio
ReplyDeleteNo, there is something seriously wrong there. All elected representatives should work 24x7. If you can't do that, you should not appear in politics. People should be able to approach an elected representative at any time. All people who do not spend their leisure time in five star hotels, do get enought privacy and personal time after everything. One just needs to prepare a schedule. And after all the meetings, daily schedules and all, if he spends Rs 30K-40K per day for privacy, that is huge and that is extravaganza, even if he spends it from his own pocket. Regarding the point on the availability of a gym or health club, I have no complaints.
Hey, That was a sarcastic, tongue in the cheek take off on the crazy kind of letters and stuff thats been appearing in newspapers and stuff. I do think that asking for Tharoor's resignation was absolutely uncalled for and an overreaction. I think Indian Politics could do with educated, independantly wealthy people like Tharoor.
ReplyDelete@ Sreejith bhai, yes bro, politics IS a 24 X 7 job but I've said its not so in person. Of course Tharoor MUST be on call 24/7, but him and all other politicians are entitled to their own rest and leisure times. All our ministers go on holidays and avail their leaves dont they? Tharoor has just spoken about privacy, that doesn't render him inaccessible.
ReplyDeleteSreejith, I feel he is the most accessible minister we ever got! And your thoughts are prudent ones about the hotel affair, but anyway our PM has done the right thing by opening his tight lips at the right time for the right person.. :) I admire the Sardar for it :)
@ Dreamer, I've left one in your article as an afterthought. I got what you meant now, and hope its vice-versa ;)
It is good to see so much political conciousness amongst our youth.
ReplyDeleteDuring his election campaign he literally brought out the entire space in all most all the spaces offered by media.Wherever you turn someone thrust in to your hands his pamphlets,bookmarks,posters. Evry newspaper reported what he ate, how women swooned about him. He was the poster boy of Congress.
Now the same media is after him. If you live by sword you will fall by it.
The question is if we can think beyond what the paers or TV tells us. May be then we can see some real participative politics.
Beauracracy is different so is politics. I have got a question for all Tharoor fans- Are you satisfied with him? I don't find him any different from anyone else except that he falls in to unnecessary controversies and he tweets. Does it make him a good politician?
And It is nt mandatory that as other netas indulges in luxury Tharoor has got the license to do so.
Jon, you have two questions. I can give you the answer to the first one: Speaking for myself, I'm satisfied with Tharoor as my MP. And leaving out the perpetual agnostics and utopian dreamers, I can vouch that a bulky chunk of his "fans" I know still remain so. :)
ReplyDeleteWell, your Q about his style of politics making him a good politician or not, I think it depends on what you feel, are the good qualities of a politician. If you're comparing him with the usual stereotyped politicos we have around us, then I have no answer. The ones we see now will be trended as #mega-fail if on Twitter; most are compulsive liars,inefficient, corrupt, dishonest, selfish etc etc... except for a handful few. So if Tharoor can usher in a new breed of politicians than the tried, tested and testified #mega-fails we got, then isn't it a chance worth taking? And why shouldn't a politician be like the common man?
Perhaps the paragraph below will be a definition you'd be interested in. You can assess it pro n against
Tharoor, but my point is that some of the below scripted qualities are seen only in Tharoor. As for the other characters, he is only 4 months into the game, so easy my brother, easy. Let him sit,stretch his legs and flex his muscles.. and then you judge :)
Trollope on the Qualities of a Good Politician
If one were asked in these days what gift should a Prime Minister ask first from the fairies, one would name the power of attracting personal friends. Eloquence, if it be too easy, may become almost a curse. Patriotism is suspected, and sometimes sinks almost to pedantry. A Jove-born intellect is hardly wanted, and clashes with the inferiorities. Industry is exacting. Honesty is unpractical. Truth is easily offended. Dignity will not bend. But the man who can be all things to all men, who has ever a kind word to speak, a pleasant joke to crack, who can forgive all sins, who is ever prepared for friend or foe but never bitter to the latter, who forgets not men’s names, and who is always ready with little words, he is the man who will be supported at a crisis such as one as this that was now in the course of passing. It is for him that men will struggle, and talk, and, if needs be, fight, as though the very existence of the country depended on his political security.
–Anthony Trollope, The Prime Minister(1876)
But the man who can be all things to all men,
ReplyDeletewho has ever a kind word to speak,
a pleasant joke to crack,
who can forgive all sins,
who is ever prepared for friend or foe but never bitter to the latter,
who forgets not men’s names,
and who is always ready with little words,
he is the man who will be supported at a crisis
I don't differ these may be some good qualities... But for someone who has been only in politics for a few months I dont know how you are able to judge so surely. If he visits his constituency once in a while I would have agreed that we have a good idea about him.
There has been a tendency to generalize all the politicians into one category-selfish, corrupt and inefficient. On one hand we, the common people fuel all these corruption and still politicians are made the scape goats. Beauracracy is the most corrupt and inefficient part of our democracy now.
If you will look in to what our Kerala ministers do, you can atleast find a couple of really good ones. But they are not the stars because they are not sellable. Tharoor is. That is the main difference between him and the rest. He has got a global image, tweets, writes in English. So the media loves him and so do we.
Since media didn't raise much issue about the fact that he stayed in a 5star hotel for months spending 50-60 lakhs from his own pocket, we too pretend we have not heard the news. But if it was someone else you would have said he is financed by some rich industrialist.
When Tharoor remarks as part of a question that economy class is cattle class, he is joking. When VS responds out of humiliation and does 'a dog' remark it is humiliating all the martyr soldiers.
In short we are goverened by media. We don't bother to think independently of what they write or show.
Anyways in coming years we will see more media-friendly, sellable politicians in India
@ Jon, I promise you, Dr. Tharoor visited Trivandrum more times in the last 3 months than our previous MPs ever did! No joke.. See, I may be severely prejudiced when I talk about Dr.Tharoor because I'm seeing his honest efforts in bringing about changes to my constituency. I have close comradeship with a few people working in close relation with Dr. Tharoor and I know he is 100% committed to what he says. So you can excuse me for forming a judgment so soon. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat I'm saying is lets wait the full 60 months to evaluate him and I won't be blindly pressing the button next time if he turns out to be a bluff. I'm not a severely political guy, except that I can't stand the blind commies. And as you may have already noticed I've learned to think twice before gulping down the black-n-white on our newspapers.
I agree with your viewpoints on our bureaucracy and lets not forget, its an interconnected hub-spoke wheel. Corruption is a two way process involving both Legislature & Executive, so the politicians just can't wash their hands off. Afterall Politics is the most juicy business in India, wont you agree?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts here Jon, keep visiting :))
@ Scorpio
ReplyDeleteYes yes Anish! One must appreciate the PM for opening his lips for this one. :)
This came from people who didn't know if Twitter was an animal or a bird. Ha ha !!
ReplyDeleteI like your blog, especially your fluid style of writing good english. Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteRegarding Sashi Tharoor, it was a clear case of Twitter vs Twit.