PRITAM SENGUPTA writes from New Delhi: It took one cookie cutter from Manmohan Singh to send L.K. Advani scurrying into the thickets of victimhood. In contrast, it can be safely said that India’s Political Family No. 1 has faced the relentless fussilade from the lunatic fringe with far greater elan and equanimity.
Barkha Dutt‘s outstanding interview with Priyanka Gandhi on NDTV 24×7 showed just where it comes from, as the woman who many say resembles Indira Gandhi in her persona and personality tackled questions on politics, identity, tragedy, forgiveness, vipasana and more with ease and grace.
Why, she even uses a word few of the name-calling, finger-wagging, chest-thumping brigade could probably even spell: epiphany.
View the full video: The Priyanka Gandhi interview
Watch the show: Tonight 5.30 pm; tomorrow 9.30 pm
Tags: Barkha Dutt, Churumuri, Indira Gandhi, L.K. Advani, Manmohan Singh, NDTV 247, Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sans Serif, Sonia Gandhi
25 April 2009 at 6:53 pm
Any self-respecting X’ian would know what that word means and if you are married into one, the least you could do is read about the fakir who could walk on water.
25 April 2009 at 8:54 pm
Dignified and rather charming. But am not sure if anything makes this a “political interview,” leave alone “the best political interview.” Priyanka was asked no questions of policy or of her positions on issues.
25 April 2009 at 9:58 pm
We all know NDTV is purchased by Congress party. How can you simply say “The best political interview of the year”!!!! Congress destroyed India for all these years and we don’t want congress again in India.
25 April 2009 at 11:53 pm
This week’s contribution by Churmuri to annoint the Numero Uno family on the Prime Minister Gaddi as if it is their ancestral property. Bravo Churmuri. Fusillade against the Numero Uno family irks Churmuri while the common man like me should endure the disaster this family has brought upon the country in the last 60+ years. Some Churmuri justice.
26 April 2009 at 1:49 am
Churumuri has become an official sycophant… congratulations :)
26 April 2009 at 3:43 am
Churumuri – does the predictable.
26 April 2009 at 10:15 am
Ha, Ha, Ha! LOL reading this piece and squirming with shame to see the depths of sycophancy that the chamchaas can reach. Let us make the spellbee contest winner the PM – Mr. Pritam.
No wonder NRN said in India “articulation is mistaken to be achievement”.
26 April 2009 at 10:42 am
very good interview…,. Gandhi family has been targeted by terrorists every now and then.. inspite of all threats they still continue to serve our country.. please name any sangh parivar member who is on the hitlist of terrorists?
26 April 2009 at 12:39 pm
I too am not sure this can be called a “political interview”. Considering how few questions Barkha Dutt asks in the full version, you could even ask whether this is an interview at all or just a public relations coup.
Nevertheless I am inclined to second the point about Priyanka Gandhi being calm and dignified despite what the family has gone through both in terms of personal tragedies, and the innuendos and insinuations.
The person who should feel most injured by this “interview” is Rahul Gandhi. If only he had his sister’s verbal powers! And if only their family’s detractors had her ability to internalise her grief and grouse without having to slap their thighs about “articulation”.
As George Orwell said in his famous 1946 essay “Politics and the English language”, our language “becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts.”
But why should we disappoint ourselves with such high semantic expectations from our leaders or their followers when “name calling, finger wagging, chest thumping” has already done its job?
Post-script: How much longer are we going to go on about sycophancy without sounding like sycophants in our own way?
26 April 2009 at 12:50 pm
Pritam Sengupta is a chamcha of the Nehru-Gandhi family.
26 April 2009 at 12:52 pm
Who the hell calls this as political interview? It’s like a personal interview.
Author is a proper sycophant. Heights of sycophancy.
And biggest joke is it is stated in the above article that she “tackled” political questions.
26 April 2009 at 2:35 pm
Btw, how is this a “political interview” ?? .. Can someone highlight the “political issues” interviewed here ?? … It looks like Barkha is taking a personal interview of priyanka.
@Simple, the entire sangh parivar is on hitlist of terrorists.
26 April 2009 at 2:43 pm
Priyanka will definitely be the PM of India in the future. She has the basic ingredients for the top job. You put all politicians on one stage, and only Priyanka on another, you will see the difference. The lady has the pull in her.
But the only question is whether she is willing to enter politics.
The loonies will try to assasinate her, just like they did to Gandhiji.
26 April 2009 at 5:03 pm
Just because somebody is orn in a family of great people and have moved with their elders it is rather ridiculous to form opinion about enetering the politics at the age of 14 etc etc. Leadership is a quality that should be developed and it cannot be thrust. Otherwise many people who have come from rural parts and por families couldn’t have madeit to the top level including the late PM Lal Bahadur Shastri. India doesn’t lack leadership. It is fed up of family rule and feuds. Let us look to the brighter side of India.
26 April 2009 at 8:39 pm
I would like to ask Pritam Sengupta the criteria he had adopted in rating this interview the best, albeit “so far.” Barkha Dutt and TV anchors of that ilk have a good PR network. Whenever The Hindu’s Malini Parthasarathy writes any crap, a torrent of letters praising her to the skies appears. Not a single dissenting voice appears.
It takes more than your journalistic acumen to make a mark in your career.
26 April 2009 at 10:35 pm
Simple says THEY serve the country despite etc etc… would they if the position being offered is that of pure serrvice and not of political power of the highest order!!I doubt it THEY only share their surname with Gandhi and not his selflessness.
Churumuri ought to get out its patronising attitude- Epiphany is a clumsy word used by phenomenologists & Old Testament prophets till it made no sense at all.
26 April 2009 at 10:54 pm
@PK – “How much longer are we going to go on about sycophancy without sounding like sycophants in our own way?”
Calling a spade a spade does not make the spade caller a sycophant. People objecting to this article are not questioning priyanka’s articulation – it deserves comment if that were to be the subject matter of the article. The subject matter was “the best political interview” – that indeed is sycophancy on the part of the writer of this piece – worthy of being called so without any hesitation. As long as there are sycophants such as Pritam, people will go on and on.
26 April 2009 at 11:48 pm
Priyanka G can use the word epiphany (and by implication, many in BJP can not). A great discovery for India.
27 April 2009 at 12:22 am
I did watch the full interview telecast on NDTV.
She was so upright. We have found a new leader who can lead India in a better way.
27 April 2009 at 8:49 am
It is like a Simi Garewal interview…. All personal, nothing political.
27 April 2009 at 9:14 am
There is something nauseating in the air around the Congress.
At the very beginning, let’s agree that dynastic politics pervades across the spectrum. It’s a trait Indians take to easily.
However, in the Congress itself, dynastic stranglehold over *real* power has not only become unquestionable…but divine right at birth. *This* has not happened in any other party.
It is certainly not due to caliber(?!)…education (??)…not due to a propensity to use “unique” words (:))..not due to an “unusual” dignity that many a common and uncommon politician exudes in this country without the advantage of a high fangled “interview” and silly ensuing publicity.
A sense of Divine Right is all evident and reason for such power. Asserted by the family and recognized by Congressmen.
There is no other reason for even senior, experienced, hard working and otherwise widely respected Congressmen..to fall at this family’s feet at the word *Go*.
A word about “sacrifices”.
1. Indira would be amongst us if she had not fed Bhindranwale. (Her “cunning” not just cost her her own life…but cost thousands more lives while her anointed son watched the “ground shake”.)
2. Rajiv would have been amongst us if he had not fallen for Jayewardene’s games. (I wonder why no “ground” shook when this “tree” fell.)
Let’s just say they paid a costly price for their stupidity.
Sacrifice indeed!
27 April 2009 at 3:03 pm
Arre….utter nonsense!
I just don’t understand why this NDTV and CNN-IBN are all out to promote
Gandhi family. In a day they are telecasting it 4 times.
What a non-sense. Priyanka tells her nose is after her grandmother. What
a non-sense way to promote oneself and gain vote.
Churumuri…why are you falling into this biased journalism?
The best interview of this year??? Can there be any more stupidity than this.
What else do they know about the country rather than using death of their father and grandmother for votes.
Let there be some sanity in reporting. We are no fools to believe your biased words.
I guess, Barkha is trying for Padma Vibhushan.
Rajdeep Sardesai and Barkha have Padmshri for their service to
this Gandhi family.
27 April 2009 at 4:09 pm
Priyanka Gandhi is a very good orator, and has the charisma of Indira Gandhi in her. But we should wait and watch for her political stance and then decide if she is worth the wait.
27 April 2009 at 6:50 pm
>>2. Rajiv would have been amongst us if he had not fallen for Jayewardene’s games. (I wonder why no “ground” shook when this “tree” fell.)
>>
Pal,
That is because RV was the President at that time and called in the army the very day Rajeev was killed. Believe me we should thank RV for his quick reaction, else 1984 would have looked like picnic in comparison to what the south indians would have faced at the hands of the northies, given their hatred for anything south of Vindhya’s.
27 April 2009 at 7:50 pm
narasimha – I don’t know. But look at the irony;
Zail Singh was the President when I. Gandhi died
Sikhs got slaughtered
RV was the President when R. Gandhi died
Tamils are saved of the slaughter that visited Sikhs.
Honestly, I don’t think the army could have been such a deterrent force. Could it be that, Hindus could not go after Hindus for slaying a Hindu?
NIs and SIs have their respective stereotypes for each other…but they have rarely to never, used violence against each other to settle scores.
That’s what I think.
27 April 2009 at 8:20 pm
Pal,
It is not only Tamils, any South Indian residing in Delhi would have been a fair game as we are all branded as “Saala Madrasi” by the northies as they do not have time to make the fine distinction between different south indian states. One of my north indian friend used to fondly call me “Thumb Desh ke Nivasi” as the Tamils are known to call each other Thambi :)
It has nothing to do with Hindus going after hindus…incidentally LTTE is a crypto christian outfit masquerading as a Hindu organisation.
Army did make a difference. Imagine the local police in delhi were to be incharge of law and order at that time.
27 April 2009 at 10:58 pm
I know I know…but even your examples seem pretty mild. Not enough to provoke or instigate a large scale massacre of SIs. If I recall, there was not even a stray murder post the assassination.
Looked like the army did not have much to do after all. Maybe some contrary news reports might convince me otherwise…
The LTTE is certainly not a Hindu organization. Agreed. However, the conflict is less religious and more ethnic.
Tamils of all religious hues conflated as enemies of Buddhist Lankans. – Very likely. Is happening.
SIs conflated as enemies of NIs as exemplified by Rajiv’s killing? – Not likely at all. Has not happened.
What do you think?
28 April 2009 at 10:54 am
The PM was from a different party, I wonder what would have happened if
PM was Rahul/priyanka
28 April 2009 at 12:28 pm
Why don’t we just abolish democracy and bring back monarchy?
We can at least save 10000 crore rupees every 5 years.
We can appoint Sonis Gandhi as Queen, Priyanka as Princess and Rahul as Prince. Manmohan can still remain Prime Minister(in the old sense)
29 April 2009 at 12:58 pm
people all debates aside for a second, and look at the all off it http://www.tubaah.com/details.php?video_id=70848
and then make a choice.
2 May 2009 at 11:38 am
Rackesh!
Good idea. But there will be a severe competition for the post of the Secular Court’s Jester: Dirty Devegowda and Laalooo will punch each other’s daylights out for the post…