Mind the Message
The #KatrinaVickyKiShaadi has grabbed the nation’s eyeballs for an entire week, and there is more to come, for we are told that a carefully curated wedding video is to be released soon. Quick to jump on the bandwagon the Aam Admi Party Instagram handle came up with an intriguing post with a picture of the bridal pair, claiming “Shocking Details Revealed”. Only if you swipe right, instead of the said shocking details, you are given graphic details of the Aam Admi Party’s poll campaign. Well that’s one way to get the eyeballs. Not to be outdone, Delhi Police also tweeted from its Twitter handle: Keep your passwords as secure as #VickyKat wedding! For as we all know, the guests were forbidden to release any pictures or details of the event. The pictures were only released post the event by the couple themselves. So when you want to get your message out, what better way to do so than to climb onto a rolling bandwagon?
The RSS Outreach
Not only is the RSS chief, Dr Mohan Bhagwat meeting journalists and editors, he also recently played host to a delegation of women from the Ehsaas Foundation. Addressing the meet Bhagwat said that the idea behind this interaction was to acquaint more people about the Sangh and clear some of the misconceptions about the organization. He pointed out that since so many people from the Sangh have taken center stage, there is more curiosity about the Sangh nowadays. Bhagwat also took questions from the audience, and one of the more interesting ones was asked by Neelima Dalmia Adhar, who pointed out there were certain groups who undertookacts of violence under the guise of furthering the Sangh’s agenda and end up giving the RSS a bad name. So, asked Neelima, what was the Sangh doing to counter this? Her reference was to acts of violence by the self-styled gau-rakshaks and others such as on Valentine’s Day. To this Bhagwat replied that “when the brand is good enough it does not need to give out advertisements warning against fake goods. Today the Sangh’s swayamsevaks are visible everywhere, doing good deeds, and are known for their good work not for these acts of violence. So people can differentiate on their own and don’t need to be told.” He added that the public knows that “yeh log aur voh log alag hain (people of the Sangh are not goons)”. He ended by saying that Sangh can best be understood by experiencing it, “just as you understand the taste of sugar best by taking half a teaspoonful.” And though the RSS is exclusively a male domain, women are invited for some of its events. The RSS chief asked the women present to attend these events, talk to the swayamsevaks. “You have to move from known to unknown and not depend on hearsay. After that you can make up your mind whichever way,” was his parting shot.
The Right Response
Manish Tewari’s fourth and latest book 10 Flashpoints, 20 Years has flagged off ten national security situations that have impacted India in the last two decades. Amongst these are the Kargil War, the surgical strike and the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai when the UPA was in power. In the chapter on 26/11 he recalls an act of terror that took place 24 years prior to that incident. That is when three men masquerading as students barged into their Sector 24 residence one morning and assassinated his father Dr V.N. Tewari. Manish’s mother, who was present at the time was also shot at but fortunately, the terrorists ran out of bullets. While speaking to NewsX and answering a question on his interest in raising issues of national security, Manish first joked that the simple answer to that could be his reading too many commando comics as a kid; but added on a more sombre note that his personal brush with terror had definitely shaped his response to national security. He added that that this is one of the reasons why he advocates a very hard line against terror, which may not be a very popular view, but whenever he sees a terror attack it makes him both anguished and angry. Which is why in his book he argues in favour of a greater use of the doctrine of offensive defence and admits that his own experience has coloured his hard-line response to terror, especially against semi-state actors. What is interesting about the book is also how he weaves the personal (just a bit) in his narration, so the reader can also understand where he is coming from.
Coffee with Kamal
Well this is one gift that will make any politician happy—a coffee table book on his or her public life. Last month, former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and Congress leader Kamal Nath received a very interesting gift from some of his friends—a coffee table book that covered all stages of his political life, entitled “The Voyage”.
One wonders if this will incentivize him to embark on his autobiography, for this is one story that will make a riveting read. A nine-term ex MP and former Chief Minister, he has been a key player in the politics of the last four decades, has seen it all—and then some.
The story of his life will not be unlike his favourite political thriller, House of Cards, down to the caustic, wry humour that accompanies that narration. Such as, when he was a minister in the Manmohan Singh government, Nath took on the clout of the Planning Commission led by Montek Singh Ahluwalia for not releasing enough funds, commenting that “in order to solve the problems of the rural poor the Planning Commission has hired a team of the urban rich”. Guess the answer to the publisher’s question depends on whether his political career is in “review” or “sequel” mode. Perhaps he hasn’t reached the hourglass of time contemplation phase yet!