English, suavity and foreign degrees
In our polity where grassroots leaders are not that articulate while speaking in English, and
probably perceived as more corrupt, it was a welcome relief to see
educated folks entering the stage. Shashi Tharoor fitted the bill
perfectly for an Indian middle class which was longing for some suave
and educated faces in politics. But then came the sweat equity issue.
Perhaps for Ashish Nandy, his ilk, and the English media, this was not a
major controversial issue since it involved one of their like-minded
well spoken Mr Tharoor.
Then you have the likes of Harvard-educated Mr
Chidambaram, Oxford-educated Mr Khurshid, and our dear Prime Minister,
the Oxford-educated Dr Manmohan Singh. Interestingly, English media
chooses not to go ballistic on alleged corruption charges on them while
they will demand immediate answers in their kangaroo courts from lesser
suave men. A quick look at the so-called social activists at prime time
debates who have almost zilch to show on their resumes regarding their
"social" contribution get away with absurd arguments by dint of their
fluency.
As the 2014
elections close in, several comparisons will be made between the Gandhi
scion, Rahul Gandhi, and BJP's development mascot Narendra Modi. I have a
feeling that one of those comparisons will be along the lines of
suavity, foreign education and fluency in English. How the future of
India is decided will depend on whether we want to look beyond suavity
and fluent English.
Saurabh Saksena: Beyond fluent English, suavity and foreign degrees
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