Yes, this is about the Rahul – Arnab interview. I know it’s late and after many jokes, many new dictionary words getting created, but I was just stunned into silence by Arnab’s niceness 🙂
For the first time Arnab showed us that he is a really nice man – he could be gentle and almost lovingly insistent. The true journalist inside him came out in flying colors and that’s awesome. Someone though needs to check with his wife, was he unwell or something ? Or was there a gun to his head !!
Someone also needs to raid Modi’s PR agency’s files … How did they pull off the unreal interview ?? This one interview has done more for him than any speech he has or could have given. This also is the proverbial last nail on Congress’ coffin. Seriously, do they think this is their leader ? My mother was very upset that we were saying such terrible things for Rahul Rajiv, but the point is he has been projected as a probable candidate for the top job in the country and every one of our lives will be impacted by the incumbent. I have a sneaky suspicion that the Congress wants to rid itself of the first family, how else could they have let this happen ? This is not even a political novice, nor a young child, that you could smile away at the inane absurd answers. For a minute if you forgot the famous last name that Rahul wrongly uses, it’s obvious he would never have got a chance to be the leader of the Congress party. He neither is politically savvy nor has done some outstanding service to the nation, nor is he a great orator, nor is he just street smart – the genuflecting sycophants would have thrown him out without a second thought.
We have had a decade long of silent puppet leadership, with the strings in the hands of the first family and in those ten years, Rahul has had an opportunity to do “something”. Even if he had merely toured the entire country, his understanding of our problems would have been so much better. He could have read extensively, he could have taken classes for oratory, he could have just met many of the senior leaders and learnt the trade. He has shown no learning agility !! What a waste of an opportunity. Am just getting even more certain that there is a group of Congressmen who are plotting the first family’s downfall, how else could you explain this interview ? Everyone understands that one person cannot remember all the facts, but he should have atleast been prepped, he could have even referred to a piece of paper if he doesn’t remember all the statistics. Why did nobody do a series of mock interviews with him to prep him ? The legendary actor Sivaji Ganesan, who is considered an acting school by himself, rehearsed every single dialogue in every single movie that he acted in !! The great orator Winston Churchill was a much in demand speaker in his time. He was once asked to come and speak at a function and the agent said, he will have ten minutes. Churchill gave a date, three months later. Just as the agent was about to leave another agent came to ask for time. The second agent said he wanted Churchill to speak for an hour, and Churchill agreed to come the next day. The first agent got upset and asked Churchill – for ten minutes you gave me a date three months later and this guy gives you an hour and you agree to speak tomorrow ? Churchill replied “When I have just ten minutes, I cannot ramble, I need to prepare well to deliver an effective speech in a short period of time, but when I have an hour, I can go around the topic, say many things that don’t make sense and sometime during the speech reach the point, so I don’t need as much prep.”
A great orator like Churchill needed three months to prepare, how was Rahul sent to this interview without any prep ?
You know what I really feel at this time as a citizen ? I feel taken for granted and not valued. Just watch a normal citizen – if the person coming home for dinner is important, the preparation will be grand, if you love the person and they are friends or family, you will ask what they want and go out of your way to make it for them. At work, you never walk into a meeting with the CEO without preparation and hope to wing it – you will soon be without a job. You hopefully will never walk into a client’s office without preparation. You show how much you value the other person through preparation for the transaction you wish to have.
Congress and the first family doesn’t consider Indian citizens worthy of preparation, they think they can wing it, say whatever and the fawning subjects would genuflect, we are being taken for granted and we have no one to blame but ourselves. We get treated the way we allow others to treat us. So suffer or choose better. Thank you Arnab … For showing us how Congress and the first family values us.
At a certain point during the show, he reminded me of the several job interviews that I had flunked. That forever roving eyes that refused to make contact with the barbecue master chef, his lack of conviction and of course the Olympic level rambling made me cringe with pity. I read a wonderful column that blames Sonia for pushing this helpless chap into the limelight for a position that he was completely ill suited for, At 42, he has few options now in the world of politics.
The entire interview was at cross purpose. Arnab was personality oriented pure gossip fit for breaking news what do you think of Modi he has said this about you will you apologise for 84 riot( look what it has done courtesy Arnab). I felt Arnab was a very poor interviewer. Interview was not to confirm Arnabs views, it was about Rahul Gandhi. Never once was RG personal. That is meanest to talk about others . He said to Arnab look I did not ask to be born in to this a family and second was about his father having difficulties in getting good policies implemented. RG wanted devolution of power. Today I find Kapil Sibal protesting about primaries. You all don’t even want to experiment. Year on Year same jokers come . I dont find any comments on larger issues of governace. Arnab never talked about it. He went on like a parrot about conflicts, controversies, al masala interview. Now day in day out all channels are talking about 84 riots. No one talks of how come Bhindrenwala with arms ammunition and terrorists occupied Golden Temple complex with impunity What was SGPC and Akli Dal doing at that time??????????DIG Atwal was shot dead on footsteps of Golden Temple and the terrorist ran inside the temple after the incident!!!!!!! It aws a serious situation. The standard reply is Bhinadrenwal was creation of Indra Gandhi. Then all the more reason he should have been thrown out of complex. The fact is Arnab had different aim. It a was to create sensation, gossip nad more panel discssion It did not happen
This is a fresh perspective, and welcome. Though I think Rahul Gandhi is unfit to be in politics, let alone be the PM, it is true that Arnab could have skillfully drawn him out to spell out what precisely he wanted done. Yes, bombarding him with questions about Modi, 1984 riots etc. in the beginning itself was unfair. There can be no defence on the part of the Congress for instigating, guiding & reinforcing passions against the Sikhs, but the role of the SGPC and the Akali Dal must be questioned, especially their glorifying Bhindranwalla and the men who killed Indira Gandhi.
You have it right about the same jokers year in year out, and also Arnab’s main aim – sensation and gossipy material.
But this was the opportunity for Rahul Gandhi to show the stuff he should be made of if he aspires to premiership: he should have told Arnab that he was there for an intelligent interview on major national issues, not to re-hash historical events that were in any case the domain of legal and other inquiries. He should have challenged the interviewer to come up with an intelligent focus aimed at an intelligent audience – or stop wasting his time and that of the viewers.
Unfortunately his inability to do so only reinforced – in fact has irrevocably clinched – the general belief that while he may be a ‘good’ person, he is totally unfit to be the PM of anything! Sad, but we have to stick with the same jokers … !
The unfortunate thing for India is we have very few options in the leaders we want to choose as PM – that situation has to rectify itself soon. 🙂
He should have asked question about ROBERT VADRA, the BILLIONER brother in law .
Very good assessment. The brutal truth about Rahul Gandhi is his intellectual deficiency. Maybe its more appropriate to say he is ‘mentally deficient’. Earlier I thought his courtiers would insulate him from the media, but this interview makes me agree there may be a section of the sychopants wanting to jettison him as he may not make it in the elections, or his survival as PM could be short-lived if at all Cong. wins. What really puzzles me, also disgusts me is people like Manmohan Singh saying Rahul has “outstanding credentials” for PMship. Also Mani Shankar Ayyar et al who hold out Rahul as great PM material despite knowing his mental level.
A person who is reputed to “have completed M.Phil. from Cambridge” in just SEVEN months, if a day, can’t be dismissed lightly as a dumbo. But then, as Shakespeare said, there are more things in this universe than a philosopher (especially the M.Phil. from Cambridge) can ever dream of! To be a P.M. could be one!!
How thick skinned are these DYNASTIES . Inspite of their being neck deep in corruption , these new BRITISH having looted the country , shamelessly boast of eradicating corruption. In 2004 , he himself admitted that he has in his father’s a/c in Swiss 2 Billion which he will make use of for some good work .
You are absolutely right. Even I felt the same. First shock Arnob not shouting. Then a young congress leader projected as future Prime Minister giving an useless interview.He surely missed the opportunity to impress anyone. Sad our country doesn’t have an alternative.
It is almost as you are reading our mind! After the interview there were more questions and more questions. However, a few things are clear. Rahul cannot create inner party democracy as he claims he wants to and nor can Congress resist any being a bunch of sycophants, else we would have probably seen someone like Jyotiraditya or Sachin in that place. You are so right about citizens being taken for granted. I am happy that they take for granted. The reaction I saw on TV and read in the papers show that many Indians have moved on and it is heartening to see that RG and his mentors have blissfully missed it. The worst kind of enemy is one who is unseen. Like wise, it is good to know in this case! However, a few more interviews and he will do better… but first he will need to know and understand India. I hope that the circumstances will force him to seek to know before blabbering about secularism (pseudo); corruption, empowerment, etc.
That’s why Dr.swamy named him Buddhu.
Where is Mani Shankar Iyer…I hope he is put in his place ?
Good analysis; however I feel you have not considered one angle to the whole episode at all. Maybe he was prepped and polished as much as possible using all the considerable resources at the disposal of the party and maybe even the government, but had to be finally sent out on a wing and a prayer because that is all he is capable of, that is all his intellectual capacity can perform!
Hi,
I am really impressed with the way you have written about the preparation, as you said, the subject is really not worthy to discuss because of the way it has been discussed royally as jokes… but the way you narrated for the preparation is wonderful and one things is for sure that congress has not prepared Rahul to be the PM candidate… The charisma of Congress has gone with Indira Gandhi, PV Narasimha Rao & Rajiv..
Thanks Anu. Prep is essential for everyone and especially for someone aspiring to be in the top office. Sad that Congress and Rahul dont think so 🙁
Ah, While completely at a loss for words, I still want to muster up the few to compliment you on your thoughts so succinctly put forth. My Empathy is with you.
Warm Regards,
Anand HS
Bangalore
Thanks again Anand.
There was only one person prepared in that interview ☺☺
You wrote in your last paragraph:
We get treated the way we allow others to treat us. So suffer or choose better.
I disagree with you totally. I disagree again and again. I was born outside of India to a very well mannered, courteous family respecting others. I am now in India to settle here, and for the last 8 months I have treated everyone I have met, even my enemies, with the utmost respect. But your line is so untrue it is hilarious. In spite of my respecting the opposite party, all I have had in India is disrespect, insulting my intelligence, untruths or thesarus word lies, cheating, stealing and violence.
But if you are right, I gave before I received. So why am I being insulted and disrespected by the intellectuals as well as the illiterate? I am sorry to read such stupid lines from people who think they know what respect is. India is corrupt and criminal from the very top to the bottom.
How can anyone who has lived outside, seen respect, been given respect, learnt respect from childhood, from a gujarati background of a very distinguished family be ridiculed by all and sundry?
Do not write lies. Respect is not earned or learnt. You do not even know the meaning of respect when you write such disrespectful words.
But who cares in India right? Everyone is a liar, a cheat, a thief and a criminal. You do not even know the meaning of right from wrong. Crime is part of life and disrespecting others and criminal behavior is who you all are.
Dear Madhu, your comments have infact proved my last paragraph. If you think of every Indian as a liar, a cheat, a thief and a criminal – thats how the experiences will be. I am born and brought up in India and I live amongst wonderful people who don’t lie, cheat, steal and do criminal acts. If its so difficult for you to be in India, you should probably reconsider your decision to settle here. Wishing you better experiences.
Rahul’s nickname was “Rip Van Winkle” – that is what the interview was all about. Rambling on with whatever he said. Broken record technique!