Sunday, August 16, 2009
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Rahul Gandhi: a talented man?
Dr Amartya Sen, our Nobel Laureate, has given an interview to Outlook Magazine, in which he states, among many other things, that Rahul Gandhi is very talented and committed.
Q:What impressed you about Rahul?
A:I think he is very talented. He is a Trinity man, we had a meal together when I was Master of Trinity and we chatted about what he was planning to do. At that time, politics was not part of his plan at all, and he told me that. I believe those were his genuine views and he changed his mind later. It was very clear to me that he was very committed to Indian development. I pointed out to him there were ways for him to dazzle the world with the money he could make. But he wasn’t in the least interested. I would say, since I have known Manmohan at the same age, that there was a very similar commitment in both of them, in terms of being deeply concerned about deprivation in India and wanting to make a change
Q:What impressed you about Rahul?
A:I think he is very talented. He is a Trinity man, we had a meal together when I was Master of Trinity and we chatted about what he was planning to do. At that time, politics was not part of his plan at all, and he told me that. I believe those were his genuine views and he changed his mind later. It was very clear to me that he was very committed to Indian development. I pointed out to him there were ways for him to dazzle the world with the money he could make. But he wasn’t in the least interested. I would say, since I have known Manmohan at the same age, that there was a very similar commitment in both of them, in terms of being deeply concerned about deprivation in India and wanting to make a change
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Subhas Chakraborty in death
Subhas Chakravorty, who died on August 3 of cancer, seized the city of Kolkata and its surroundings as one million people behaved like crazy to have a last glance of his body. In death, he caught up with such Bengal greats as Tagore and Ray.
I can't simply explain how so many people mourned the death of someone who had a bully's image in public life. He was a controversial political figure, what with his outrageous boasts("Except giving life to a dead man, I can do any job whatsoever"), and behaviour(He offered puja at Tarapith despite being an avowed Marxist).
But he was also generous in a mythical way. His door would always remain open to everybody. And he helped any one who dared approach him, irrespective of caste, class and political affiliations.
In TV footage, celebrities cutting across different arenas spoke highly of him. But most of these were second-rate and dubious. Chakraborty made them launch their career.
The convoy that followed his body had 400 cars.
The mammoth gathering seemed embarrassing for his party CP(I)M, which never favoured him despite his huge contribution to the party.
His party used his clout to fill the Maidan with crowd when it so required. He had the stunning ability to gather one lakh people at the drop of his Panama hat which was part of his appearance.
Obviously, post-death, he had no active role in having one million people following his body. This is something which will have many of us think over to demystify the weird personality that Subhas was.
I can't simply explain how so many people mourned the death of someone who had a bully's image in public life. He was a controversial political figure, what with his outrageous boasts("Except giving life to a dead man, I can do any job whatsoever"), and behaviour(He offered puja at Tarapith despite being an avowed Marxist).
But he was also generous in a mythical way. His door would always remain open to everybody. And he helped any one who dared approach him, irrespective of caste, class and political affiliations.
In TV footage, celebrities cutting across different arenas spoke highly of him. But most of these were second-rate and dubious. Chakraborty made them launch their career.
The convoy that followed his body had 400 cars.
The mammoth gathering seemed embarrassing for his party CP(I)M, which never favoured him despite his huge contribution to the party.
His party used his clout to fill the Maidan with crowd when it so required. He had the stunning ability to gather one lakh people at the drop of his Panama hat which was part of his appearance.
Obviously, post-death, he had no active role in having one million people following his body. This is something which will have many of us think over to demystify the weird personality that Subhas was.
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