Khushwant Singh
Now that the general elections are on us, it is permissible to identify the principal vote-catchers on the national scale. There are many whose voice matters in their particular regions: Farooq Abdullah, and more so his son Omar, in Kashmir; the Badals and Amrinder Singh of Patiala in Punjab; Mulayam Singh in Uttar Pradesh; General Khanduri in Uttaranchal; Lalu, Paswan and Nitish Kumar in Bihar; Patnaik in Orissa; Mamta Banerjee in Bengal; Jayalalitha and Karunanidhi in Tamil Nadu; Sharad Pawar in Maharashtra; Narendra Modi in Gujarat — and such like leaders in other States of whom I am not aware of. But they do not reach out to voters beyond their regions. Although film stars attract large crowds wherever they go, I do not think they have much impact on the voter’s choice of the candidate he or she will vote for.
When it comes to the national scene, I am of the view that only four netas draw crowds and sway public opinion: LK Advani, Mayawati, Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia.
Advani, though not a great orator, is a convincing debater. He also has the knack of being on the offensive all the time. If the BJP does well in the polls, it will be largely due to Arun Jaitley’s managerial skills and LK Advani’s persuasiveness.
Mayawati is a recent arrival on the national stage. However, in the short period she has managed to garner support of Dalits and other depressed communities all over the country. She is likely to do well as well as upset wishful calculations being made by the major contending parties.
Rahul Gandhi has made his mark as a crowd-puller and a speaker. He is measured in his speech, and what he says makes good sense. If the Congress Party fares well, it will owe him many thanks.
On the top of my list of crowd-puller and vote-catchers is Sonia Gandhi. Crowds do not gather in huge numbers simply to have a glimpse of a good-looking women but also with the feeling that so far she has not let them down and the future destiny of the nation is safe in her hands. No one gives a hoot about the ill-bred comment that she is not India-born. She knows the Indian ethos and pulse of the Indian people. If the Congress Party wins more seats and Manmohan Singh resumes Prime Ministership, it will be mainly due to the mother-son duo’s active role in the elections.
Silver Jubilee
Exactly 25 years ago Usha Mahajan entered my life. I have vivid memories of our first encounter. She started pouring out her heart to me. She was having trouble with her husband. Between tears and outbursts of anger she went from one episode to the other. Why she had chosen a total stranger to offload her border of misery, I still have no ideas. But how she narrated her different episodes gave me the impression that she has the knack of a storyteller. ‘‘Why don’t you put what you have told me in black and white?’’ I asked. She regained her composure and pondered over my suggestion. I did not see her for a few weeks. She wrote some stories which were published in some Hindi journals. Later on I translated them into English. They were published in the Illustrated Weekly of India I had edited a few years earlier. She became a different person. Her relations with her husband became harmonious. Her three daughters were proud of their mother’s achievements. It had become a happy family.
Usha and her husband came over to celebrate the silver jubilee of her writing career with a packet full of burfees and rasgullas. It also coincided with the publication of her 25th book Aurtein Tathaa Anya Kahania — Women & Other Stories — published by Hind Pocket Books along with a Hindi version of my two-volume History & Religion of the Sikhs. Not bad going for any author: a book a year! Usha has made her place in the literary circles with several awards to her credit. She has also proved that writing is a good therapy for a troubled soul.
Lok Sewa
One day a shopkeeper goes to a barber for a haircut. After the cut he asks about his bill and the barber replies, “I can’t accept money from you. I’m doing lok sewa this week.’’ The shopkeeper was pleased and thanked the nai.
Next morning the barber finds a ‘‘thank you’’ card and a box of sweets waiting for him at his door. Later, a policeman comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his bill, the barber again replies, ‘‘I can’t accept money from you. I’m doing lok sewa this week.’’ The cop is happy and leaves the shop. Again, the next morning he finds a ‘‘thank you’’ card and basket of fruits waiting for him. The same happens with a college processor who comes in for a haircut. The next morning there is a ‘‘thank you’’ card and a dozen books, such as ‘‘How to Improve your Business’’ and ‘‘Becoming More Successful’’. Then a member of the Lok Sabha comes in for a haircut and when he goes to pay his bill, the barber again replies, ‘‘I can’t accept money from you. I’m doing lok sewa this week.’’ The MP is very pleased and leaves the shop. The next morning when the barber goes to open up, there are a dozen members of the Lok Sabha lined up waiting for a free haircut.
(Contributed by Vipin Buckshey, New Delhi) THE SENTINEL
Now that the general elections are on us, it is permissible to identify the principal vote-catchers on the national scale. There are many whose voice matters in their particular regions: Farooq Abdullah, and more so his son Omar, in Kashmir; the Badals and Amrinder Singh of Patiala in Punjab; Mulayam Singh in Uttar Pradesh; General Khanduri in Uttaranchal; Lalu, Paswan and Nitish Kumar in Bihar; Patnaik in Orissa; Mamta Banerjee in Bengal; Jayalalitha and Karunanidhi in Tamil Nadu; Sharad Pawar in Maharashtra; Narendra Modi in Gujarat — and such like leaders in other States of whom I am not aware of. But they do not reach out to voters beyond their regions. Although film stars attract large crowds wherever they go, I do not think they have much impact on the voter’s choice of the candidate he or she will vote for.
When it comes to the national scene, I am of the view that only four netas draw crowds and sway public opinion: LK Advani, Mayawati, Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia.
Advani, though not a great orator, is a convincing debater. He also has the knack of being on the offensive all the time. If the BJP does well in the polls, it will be largely due to Arun Jaitley’s managerial skills and LK Advani’s persuasiveness.
Mayawati is a recent arrival on the national stage. However, in the short period she has managed to garner support of Dalits and other depressed communities all over the country. She is likely to do well as well as upset wishful calculations being made by the major contending parties.
Rahul Gandhi has made his mark as a crowd-puller and a speaker. He is measured in his speech, and what he says makes good sense. If the Congress Party fares well, it will owe him many thanks.
On the top of my list of crowd-puller and vote-catchers is Sonia Gandhi. Crowds do not gather in huge numbers simply to have a glimpse of a good-looking women but also with the feeling that so far she has not let them down and the future destiny of the nation is safe in her hands. No one gives a hoot about the ill-bred comment that she is not India-born. She knows the Indian ethos and pulse of the Indian people. If the Congress Party wins more seats and Manmohan Singh resumes Prime Ministership, it will be mainly due to the mother-son duo’s active role in the elections.
Silver Jubilee
Exactly 25 years ago Usha Mahajan entered my life. I have vivid memories of our first encounter. She started pouring out her heart to me. She was having trouble with her husband. Between tears and outbursts of anger she went from one episode to the other. Why she had chosen a total stranger to offload her border of misery, I still have no ideas. But how she narrated her different episodes gave me the impression that she has the knack of a storyteller. ‘‘Why don’t you put what you have told me in black and white?’’ I asked. She regained her composure and pondered over my suggestion. I did not see her for a few weeks. She wrote some stories which were published in some Hindi journals. Later on I translated them into English. They were published in the Illustrated Weekly of India I had edited a few years earlier. She became a different person. Her relations with her husband became harmonious. Her three daughters were proud of their mother’s achievements. It had become a happy family.
Usha and her husband came over to celebrate the silver jubilee of her writing career with a packet full of burfees and rasgullas. It also coincided with the publication of her 25th book Aurtein Tathaa Anya Kahania — Women & Other Stories — published by Hind Pocket Books along with a Hindi version of my two-volume History & Religion of the Sikhs. Not bad going for any author: a book a year! Usha has made her place in the literary circles with several awards to her credit. She has also proved that writing is a good therapy for a troubled soul.
Lok Sewa
One day a shopkeeper goes to a barber for a haircut. After the cut he asks about his bill and the barber replies, “I can’t accept money from you. I’m doing lok sewa this week.’’ The shopkeeper was pleased and thanked the nai.
Next morning the barber finds a ‘‘thank you’’ card and a box of sweets waiting for him at his door. Later, a policeman comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his bill, the barber again replies, ‘‘I can’t accept money from you. I’m doing lok sewa this week.’’ The cop is happy and leaves the shop. Again, the next morning he finds a ‘‘thank you’’ card and basket of fruits waiting for him. The same happens with a college processor who comes in for a haircut. The next morning there is a ‘‘thank you’’ card and a dozen books, such as ‘‘How to Improve your Business’’ and ‘‘Becoming More Successful’’. Then a member of the Lok Sabha comes in for a haircut and when he goes to pay his bill, the barber again replies, ‘‘I can’t accept money from you. I’m doing lok sewa this week.’’ The MP is very pleased and leaves the shop. The next morning when the barber goes to open up, there are a dozen members of the Lok Sabha lined up waiting for a free haircut.
(Contributed by Vipin Buckshey, New Delhi) THE SENTINEL
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