Tuesday, February 12, 2013

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


No comments: