On November 19, the 100th birthday of prime minister Indira Gandhi, her younger grandson tweeted thus: “‘Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practise any other virtue consistently’. To a lady that was a mother to this nation. Miss you Dadi... I know you always watch over us.” There was an accompanying photograph of a smiling Indira with her pallu drawn over her bushy hair, and, in her arms, Varun Gandhi, looking just as he does today.
The elder grandson’s tweet was to the point: “I remember you Dadi with so much love and happiness. You are my mentor and guide. You give me strength. #Indira100.” The accompanying photograph was also telling. Indira, Sonia, Priyanka and Rahul around a birthday cake, on an aircraft. In the background, under one of the windows, sits a telephone.
The tweets and photos revealed quite a bit about the young men. Varun wears his heart on his sleeve, and, despite all differences, holds his grandmother in an intimate embrace. Rahul states his bond in clear, simple terms. The photo reveals his intimate circle, and gives us a glimpse of the official intrusion that has run through his life.
Maybe that is who Rahul Gandhi is. And, should we fault him for not being chatty or weepy or mushy? Maybe he is all that in private. Maybe not. By his own admission, he rates Prime Minister Narendra Modi an excellent communicator who can appeal simultaneously to different groups within the same crowd. A national leader must have connect, of course. But, let us not insist that all politicians must be demagogues and wear khaddar. In fact, I wait for the day when an Indian politician can turn up as Clark Kent for a lark, a la Justin Trudeau!
Speaking of creative appeal, I must announce the addition of a Contributing Editor—writer and advertiser Anuja Chauhan. The brain behind “Yeh dil mange more” and “Nothing official about it”, Anuja gave up a zooming career in advertising to take up writing. She has written six popular books, and has been our columnist for a few years now. She speaks her mind in exquisite prose, and I want her to do more of that in our pages.
Coming back to the cover, Rahul Gandhi’s expected elevation as president of the Indian National Congress comes at a crucial time for the party. I have been asked if I am pro-Congress. An editor cannot make any such choice. He can vote, based on his conscience. From where I sit, I can remember the brilliance and blunders of every party. So, blind trust in a party is not possible.
But, yes, I do not believe in a Congress-mukt Bharat, just as I do not believe in a BJP-mukt Bharat. A party exists because it has space in the minds of the voters. And, the shape of that space changes over time. The Congress has space left in India. Yes, it has shrunk considerably from what it used to be.
If Rahul Gandhi wishes to reclaim that space, he must believe, and he must fight. He must fight in the panchayats, he must fight in the booths, he must fight in Parliament, and in the ‘high command’. He must fight himself, and that sweet voice that says ‘give up’.
