One English summer, a 13-year-old Shashi Tharoor decided he was going to read a book a day for a year. He did. But his pride in his achievement was diminished by a precocious realisation, “Half my childhood was spent saddened with the knowledge that there were so many more books still left to read.” Now 55, Shashi must sneak a book in the slivers of his time that lies divided between his political responsibilities and the new domestic front. He is also working on a book on Indian foreign policy for the intelligent Indian.
Leading a life filled with “too much packing and unpacking”, Shashi Tharoor still looks every bit the happily married man. With refreshing and unusual candour, the Twitteroor as he was dubbed talks about balancing work and home, “I’m trying hard to structure my life and working to meet the demands of my constituency.”
Shashi and Sunanda, who tied the knot late last year, have struck a deal of having seven short honeymoons to combat the hectic schedules. Shashi laughs, “Sunanda has accepted this bargain. Although, according to her only five trips qualify so far.”
The celebrity politician has barely spent more than three days in one place since the start of this year and says wryly, “My wife would never be able to see me if she didn’t travel with me.” And he’s aware that Sunanda is good for the team, “I appreciate that she is willing to come along with me on my trips. I’m very grateful that she understands my political demands and cares about issues. She is most actively engaged in issues in the Kashmir valley.”
He is bemused by his latest title, ‘Sexiest Vegetarian’ and feigns ignorance about the details, “Oh! I thought it was hottest vegetarian! For which reason images of green chillies were conjured in my mind. But this was very unexpected and unlikely. I’ve been a vegetarian ever since I was old enough to know what I was eating. My parents tried their best to change me, often tricking me with ham sandwiches but I resisted.”
The wife however, a Kashmiri pandit, swears by non-vegetarian food. Shashi says, “She tried to give up non-vegetarian but she tells me that her doctor warned her that her stomach walls may
collapse. For my sake however, she turns vegetarian on Mondays.”
Suave, savvy and with a sound knowledge of Bollywood (displayed in his novel Show Business) Shashi has had to resist the lure of cinema. He’s been approached to play himself in numerous Malayalam films but the politician says he barely has the time to watch films, let alone act in them. “I watch very few movies, and mostly aboard a plane. But I loved Kerala Café, which I thought was one of the finest Indian films ever made. I liked 3 Idiots, enjoyed Lagaan, but didn’t like Rang De Basanti. I’ve had fun with Quick Gun Murugan and Golmaal 3 too,” he laughs.
While he says his writing over the years has sobered down, “I did not want to be typecast and wanted to show each time that I was capable of a different depth,” he’s been most in the news recently for his tweets. Shashi speaks with humour and detachment about his Twitter controversies, “There was nothing wrong with what I said. The word ‘Interlocutor’ I now find has become very popular and is extensively used in almost every section of the media and if anyone ought to take offense to the phrase ‘Cattle Class’, it should be the airlines.”
Serious for a minute, he says, “Most English speaking Indians understood what I meant. ‘Cattle Class’ is a very banal expression. I found that I was wilfully distorted and a favoured target.” The brouhaha “was sobering and definitely a learning experience. I’m learning to grow a thicker skin and promised myself no flippant jokes! After a three decade career in politics, to be dubbed a
controversialist didn’t translate. Departing from the limelight was a blessed relief.”
Shashi will continue to tweet, “I’ve been told that websites have crashed after I’ve posted a link on my Twitter account. I want to reach out to the people and Twitter is a great tool for accountability and transparency.” The minister’s optimism is evident, so is his acknowledgment of being new to the Indian political ball game. “The disadvantage of not having a political pedigree soon became obvious to me. I am fully conscious that I am a novice. I know that I haven’t been through the ‘route’ of others who are involved in politics in the country but, I am still learning,” he says quietly.