There is something to be said for a contrite heart as it has frequently to do with the business of heaven; with the contrite politician there could be a lot said as it concerns the business of perpetuating his heaven on earth. And when the politician veers over to the other extreme by ostensibly turning over a new leaf and parroting the opposite viewpoint then one can be sure that the state of contrition has been replaced by the conviction that the law is well-nigh on him. And thus when Mr. Tharoor, lord and luminary of Lexiconnation, found that his long drawn case of culpable uxoricide could invite possible confinement in the penitentiary he decided to wave the flag of nationalism in the fond hope that this new found belief would serve as a sufficient antidote to arrest and incarceration. And to adequately buttress his claims, the eloquent grandstander employed the strongest possible phraseology “we will not give even an inch to Pakistan”.

The spirited attack “even an inch” was no doubt inspired by the powerful desire to create the distance between himself and Tihar of which he might well be a resident, in the near future.

The consonance with the views of the current establishment have been a WIP if one were to take a look at his comments in the recent past. As he nears his sentence the frequency of his pronouncements in favor of the current dispensation seem to be increasing in their regularity. Saying that Narendra Modi should be praised for doing the right thing reads almost like an endorsement of his governance in these times of extreme political polarization. The dogged defiance that marked the immediate reaction after the death of his wife Sunanda have been replaced by a restraint that almost betrays the fear of a man faced with the prospect of an imminent fate. Having seen the recent trials and fate of a certain PC the bluster has been promptly dispensed with, no doubt in the realization that discretion is the better part of valor.

As the vermin desert the sinking ship, wiser counsel (essentially of the legal kind) seem to be having its way in the current political environment. As the politicos of various hues are realigning in the interim, our political servants seem to be in a state of non-alignment as they look to crack the best deal. The choice is of course a no-brainer, they need to go right, all they need to decide on, is the degree and the outfit.
Speaking of Tharoor, he better hope and pray for the unlikely development which will alter the current state of his affairs completely, and if that seems improbable he could utilize the time left to brush up on his hindi, as all prospective associates in the slammer would be more comfortable in the vernacular. This would be the time to develop new associations to prepare the ground for his second innings, as and when it happens, in the hope that it would be blessed with better fortunes than the first. That said a long and ‘illustrious’ list of possible acquaintances would be waiting to make his stay cozy and comfortable. In fact Tharoor, realistically speaking, might be lodged in a place that would revive old associations and would as closely resemble a buddies club as possible. Renunciation and reformation are an extremely tall order and one would of course not attempt to make his task more difficult but while it would be extremely optimistic to expect suave Shashi to don the native garb and brush up on the local jargon, an effort would do his case no harm.

After all the convival spirit might throw up unimaginable benefactors. This of course will have to be done in the dimly lit corridors of the penitentiary , which while not inspiring might just set the mood and the spirit. The road is long and the efforts at exponentially increasing the miles between him and cell might come to naught and he could very well end up covering the distance within the length and breadth of his cell, hence the to-do-list for skilful Shashi. The sun is gone for Shashi but he still has a light and the devious former diplomat might yet seek inspiration in Einstein’s “politics is for the present but an equation is for eternity” to create a twist in the tale.

Please follow and like us: