A WONDERLAND OF WORDS
Shashi Tharoor’s latest book is an engaging read as he delves into the wonderland of words. As the blurb of the book promises, in the “Wonderland of Words Around the World in 101 Essays” (published by Aleph), Shashi demystifies punctuation and guides us through the arcane rules of spelling and grammar. He kept the audience captivated at the launch in Delhi (moderated by David Davidar). He kept the entire hall engaged for nearly two hours, relating anecdotes and interesting facts about the English language. The question-answer session saw a lot of young professionals, students and wannabe writers pose questions about the author’s own writing preferences and styles. One asked whether he still read 365 books a year (that apparently was a rash challenge Shashi took up in his youth). He replied that he had since learnt better for the idea was to enjoy the book rather than rushing to meet a deadline. Another asked about his clipped “accent”, to which Shashi replied that he probably learnt to speak in this “peculiar accent” (his words) at school while participating in elocution contests and then at St Stephen’s College where he was surrounded by people who spoke “like this”. Clearly, the evening was as much about the writer as it was about the book.
Being Kangana Ranaut
Kangana Ranaut has been on a publicity spree to promote her upcoming film on the Emergency. Normally, this would have suited the BJP for this is not something the Congress wants the public to be reminded about, especially at a time when it is accusing the Narendra Modi government of being anti democratic and imposing a silent emergency like situation. However, Ranaut’s comments on the politics of the day as well as her diatribe against the farmers have not gone down well with the party, especially in view of the upcoming elections in Haryana. In addition, there is a feeling amongst the Sikh community that the film portrays them in a negative light. According to BJP sources, Kangana was summoned by the BJP chief J.P. Nadda and asked to measure her words carefully, limiting her interviews to her film; but can you put limits on someone like Kangana Ranaut who is known to be an outlier and someone who takes on the system? The BJP knew what it was getting into when it handed her a ticket from Mandi and it is to Ranaut’s credit that she won against a Congress star candidate. Certainly she is not one who will stick to someone else’s script. Or will she?.
Coalition Compromises
If there is one lesson from the 2024 results it is this—that the era of national parties dominating the political scene has hit a pause. Both the BJP and the Congress are now dependant on their regional allies. The Congress could not have done as well as it did in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu without its allies and the BJP would not have been able to cross 272 without its allies. It is as simple as that. And so, while the Congress may talk of a comeback, it has to first take a look at its performance in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and even in Telangana and Karnataka, where it has state governments in place. Likewise, the BJP too is still not able to make a dent in the South. Hence, both parties will have to tone down their big brother attitude for now, and this is a lesson their allies are only too happy to reiterate.