Usually, this blog does not stray into political territory; politics has enough noise and din already, without one more voice adding to the cacophony. Also, I have noted, especially with my countrymen, that politics is a very divisive discussion - almost as contentious as Sachin Tendulkar's retirement plans, or the relative unlivability of Mumbai and Delhi. So, I usually steer clear of matters political.
Once in a while, however, an event happens which forces me to stray from my stated intent - something so disturbing or awe-inspiring, that it compels me to talk about it.
The tour de force, which inspires my philosophical betrayal this time, is Bill Clinton's speech at the US Democratic Convention. By now, I am pretty sure that every one of you has heard about it, most of you have read reams about it, and some of you have trawled YouTube and gone ahead and seen 49 minutes of the most eloquent political address in modern times. I saw it too, all 49 minutes and 35 seconds of it - twice. And if I was an American citizen - of any hue, Red or Blue - by now I would be out there hunting for the first polling booth to open up, or at least crossing off the days till it does: to go vote for Obama.
Political leaders, since the era of the Greeks, the Athenians, the British, and even us Indians, were great orators first. They needed to be - the power to move thousands of people by their mere words was the basic requirement for a leader. It started with Demosthenes, who famously put stones in his mouth to teach himself to overcome his natural stutter and speak eloquently. The Greeks were not short of them - with Aeschynis and Isocrates among others. The Romans gave us Cicero, Marcus Antonius, Pericles, and, famously, Julius Ceaser. Hitler and Mussolini's speaking skills sent millions of their country men to their victories and their deaths, and ignited the gas chambers to wipe out an entire race. The British, ever so economical with their words, paradoxicaly gifted us with the greatest orator of the 20th century - Winston Churchill who, famously, "mobilised the English language, and sent it into battle", and out-orated and routed the Germans. The Americans, on the other hand, never know for their brevity, gave us great speakers like Lincoln and King and Kennedy and, then, Obama.
But a new king got crowned this week - William Jefferson Clinton. There is not much I can say about his speech, which has not been written or heard or seen. Suffice to say, it was one of those efforts which move masses of people and communities and nations. It was a masterpiece - combining deep policy facts, numbers and emotions. Complex economic and political situations were made ever so simple and easy to understand, the choices made so stark and easy. He castigated the Republicans, but with such finesse` and statesmanship, that he butchered them without drawing any unseemly blood.
If you have not yet, carve out 50 minutes from your life and see it here:
However incongruous it sounds, it also reminded me of.... Manmohan Singh. If there is one man who needed to see the speech twice a day for the rest of his life, it is the statue in human form, who is also our Prime Minister. I do not expect him to become another Bill Clinton in the next dozen lifetimes, or even become half a percent of that, but hopefully, after he has seen it a couple of thousand times, he will realise that leaders need to communicate with their people, to inspire them, to leave them with hope and faith and misted eyes...
It is too much to hope for, and each country deserves its own leaders. But there is always hope - perhaps Mr. Singh will learn from Demosthenes, if not Clinton, and start practicing with stones in his mouth starting tomorrow. Or, instead of stones, it might be lumps of coal - I believe there is a lot of them around Lutyens Delhi right now....
Once in a while, however, an event happens which forces me to stray from my stated intent - something so disturbing or awe-inspiring, that it compels me to talk about it.
The tour de force, which inspires my philosophical betrayal this time, is Bill Clinton's speech at the US Democratic Convention. By now, I am pretty sure that every one of you has heard about it, most of you have read reams about it, and some of you have trawled YouTube and gone ahead and seen 49 minutes of the most eloquent political address in modern times. I saw it too, all 49 minutes and 35 seconds of it - twice. And if I was an American citizen - of any hue, Red or Blue - by now I would be out there hunting for the first polling booth to open up, or at least crossing off the days till it does: to go vote for Obama.
Political leaders, since the era of the Greeks, the Athenians, the British, and even us Indians, were great orators first. They needed to be - the power to move thousands of people by their mere words was the basic requirement for a leader. It started with Demosthenes, who famously put stones in his mouth to teach himself to overcome his natural stutter and speak eloquently. The Greeks were not short of them - with Aeschynis and Isocrates among others. The Romans gave us Cicero, Marcus Antonius, Pericles, and, famously, Julius Ceaser. Hitler and Mussolini's speaking skills sent millions of their country men to their victories and their deaths, and ignited the gas chambers to wipe out an entire race. The British, ever so economical with their words, paradoxicaly gifted us with the greatest orator of the 20th century - Winston Churchill who, famously, "mobilised the English language, and sent it into battle", and out-orated and routed the Germans. The Americans, on the other hand, never know for their brevity, gave us great speakers like Lincoln and King and Kennedy and, then, Obama.
But a new king got crowned this week - William Jefferson Clinton. There is not much I can say about his speech, which has not been written or heard or seen. Suffice to say, it was one of those efforts which move masses of people and communities and nations. It was a masterpiece - combining deep policy facts, numbers and emotions. Complex economic and political situations were made ever so simple and easy to understand, the choices made so stark and easy. He castigated the Republicans, but with such finesse` and statesmanship, that he butchered them without drawing any unseemly blood.
If you have not yet, carve out 50 minutes from your life and see it here:
However incongruous it sounds, it also reminded me of.... Manmohan Singh. If there is one man who needed to see the speech twice a day for the rest of his life, it is the statue in human form, who is also our Prime Minister. I do not expect him to become another Bill Clinton in the next dozen lifetimes, or even become half a percent of that, but hopefully, after he has seen it a couple of thousand times, he will realise that leaders need to communicate with their people, to inspire them, to leave them with hope and faith and misted eyes...
It is too much to hope for, and each country deserves its own leaders. But there is always hope - perhaps Mr. Singh will learn from Demosthenes, if not Clinton, and start practicing with stones in his mouth starting tomorrow. Or, instead of stones, it might be lumps of coal - I believe there is a lot of them around Lutyens Delhi right now....
