Tweeter-less on Raisina Hill

Having read most of Shashi Tharoor's works (and numerous newspaper columns), I have always been impressed by the breadth of his interests, deep research and ability to communicate in a tone that was refreshingly unusual. (I confess my ignorance of his achievements in the United Nations).My admiration for him grew several notches when he chose to enter Parliament by slugging it out in the rough and tumble of electoral politics as opposed to the more conventional back-door routes employed by the privileged lot. I have been disappointed by him twice:

Let me get over and done with the less relevant one first. In one of his books- "Bookless in Baghdad", Tharoor has chosen to write a retort to a sharply critical review by Shobha De of one of his earlier publications, "Show Business". While I can't help concede that Show Business is an eminently forgettable tome, a writer of Tharoor's stature need not have stooped to level with a saucy, publicity-seeking mass manufacturer of lurid pulp fiction.

His recent Twitter posts with a stance against numerous government actions have left me disappointed. To voice private disagreements in a broader forum while one holds public office is distasteful and highly unbecoming of someone with Tharoor's perceived calibre. To walk and execute the house view is a basic expectation from anyone entrusted with any form of responsibility, not to mention a position of national (and perhaps international) import. Why would an acclaimed prodigy with numerous & wide ranging accomplishments under his belt seemingly lose the plot ?

Part of the answer probably lies in Tharoor's intellectual arrogance relative to the polity (for evidence of this trait one must read his scathing criticism of R K Narayan's "lack of command" over the Queen's language). He seems to have fallen prey to the mistaken belief that academic pedigree coupled with professional success equals superior intelligence. Mass leaders (who have exceptional compartments of cerebral excellence in their own right) typically lull the brown sahibs into this false sense of complacency.

Tharoor also seems to be gambling with periodic acts of professional indiscretion with an eye towards creating a crusader image for himself with the impressionable middle class. The calibrated nature of his "dissent" coupled with timely retreats when faced with rebuke from the sanctum sanctorum reeks of clinical brinkmanship. If Tharoor indeed believes he can pull this off to create a larger than life persona for himself in the Rahul Gandhi era, I would tend to conclude that megalomania has scalped yet another bright soul.