APJ Abdul Kalam - The Perfect Indian

Our beloved APJ Abdul Kalam is no more. Long live Dr. Abdul Kalam.

Since our nation's independence no one has captured the imagination of fellow Indians like Abdul Kalam. He was bright. He overcame huge odds to excel. He was a pioneer in moving important national priorities forward. He overcame bureaucracy to deliver impressive results.

When asked, he assumed political office, enriched & enhanced it, and made the ceremonial role of a president meaningful through his curiosity and dedication. He continued to positively influence young minds well past the sell-by date of most people. He understood technology and evangelized it, and he understood the real problems of ordinary citizens.

And yet he was humble beyond belief. His genuine connection with people around him is what ultimately defined the man.

I hear TV anchors, print journalists, political party mouthpieces, and "intellectuals" endlessly and meaninglessly debate the "idea of India". My president, my fellow Indian APJ Abdul Kalam was the idea of India.

As I type out this message, unable to stop tears welling up in my eyes, I think of this little muslim boy growing up in a family of modest means, equally at home in a mosque or a temple, this outstanding scholar and engineer, a teacher, friend, philosopher and guide to millions around him, I have mixed emotions - joy at having lived in his time, sorrow that he is no longer among us, pride at what he accomplished, and hope that with a vision and hard work, anything is possible in our country.

Good bye Dr. Abdul Kalam, we will miss you. You are the Perfect Indian.

Two congressmen - Tharoor & Aidiot

Nothing noteworthy or interesting comes out of the Congress party these days, other than their dynastic leaders shooting themselves in the foot or taking periodic sabbaticals.

However two well educated and articulate congressmen have figured out how to stay in the media spotlight, and make their points in their own unique ways.

Shashi Tharoor has been in the spotlight for many reasons. The homicide/suicide investigation into the mysterious death of his wife continues, but that has certainly not cramped his style. He continues to speak his mind, to the utter discomfort of his party's first family. His latest disagreement with the party regarding disrupting parliament has not gone down well with his party president and he has been publicly rebuked for his position. He continues to give fodder to the BJP to needle the Congress party.

Tharoor has also been in the news for his brilliantly argued position on reparations from Britain to India for their loot during the colonial rule. The Oxford debate video has gone viral and has won Tharoor much praise for his argument and superior oratory skills, even from the Prime Minister of India.

All in all Tharoor is an exciting young politician, a highly skilled and intelligent orator, a guy who is not afraid to speak his mind.

On the other hand there is Mani Shankar Aiyer - I fondly call him Mani Shankar Aidiot. Mani's singular traits are his extreme adulation for the Gandhi family, and pathological hatred for Narendra Modi.

For all his (supposed) intellectual prowess, Aidiot shows himself to be a clown when he speaks on these two topics. Reason goes out the window, and all that remains is the raves and rants of a senile old man, somehow hanging on to his role as a party mouthpiece, courtesy his many friends in the media.