What makes Shashi Tharoor Shashi Tharoor? His tweets are not making headlines, his ministership is gone and yet he is still in the news.
What makes Shashi Tharoor Shashi Tharoor? His tweets are not making headlines, his ministership is gone and yet he is still in the news. And happily so. No, it's not that special air (that everyone thinks) he has about himself that keeps him going. It might sound silly, but it is something as simple as love that keeps him going. And lets him be a darling of the press and the people.u00a0
A proud Stephanian of the 70s and a prolific writer, Tharoor ufffd who went on to become a UN diplomat ufffd landed up in a red beacon car and is now also out of it. For one, he was a minister who didn't follow convention. He did what his heart dictated instead, and got engaged to the woman he loved even during a raging controversy. The couple (who couldn't care less), didn't quite mind the raised eyebrows, the jeers and all the shrill chatter around them. They just did it their way.
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I thought of Tharoor when it was raining hard in Delhi last week as I stepped out of home aimlessly (Delhiites are pretty aimless people anyway) to be on my own. But, for some reason, it was not a usual rainy day. It had a different feel. I saw young couples here and there seeking quiet corners to exchange sweet nothings. A few were walking with hands clasped boldly, unashamed of meeting small, mindless demands of the other, while it poured on the wide stretches of the VIP Central Secretariat.
So much like this VIP couple ufffd Tharoor and Sunanda ufffd they also went on to prove that love conquers all. This holds true for everyone, from a middle-class person to an author-turned-politician. During the controversy, the good looking couple was seen and talked about much, but I guess they had better things to do than react to a cluster of nameless, faceless identities.
There have been only quite a few such figures in history who didn't bother about convention and cared only for the one they loved. And they have been people who were revered and successful.
Like the sweet and secret love affair between Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Lady Mountbatten. Many a storm was raised and Nehru became an idol in a rather non-Indian way, yet love surpassed all. As I walked on a muddy road with torn slippers, I thought of all of them with a smile on my lips. My discomfort didn't bother me as I walked with the man I love. Who cares about this little inconvience, I thought. I believe it must have been the same feeling for our dear ex-minister and his beloved fianc ufffde.