TWITTER CHAT WITH SHASHI THAROOR
28/December/2014
- Which politician’s “experiments with truth” would you like to read? (@dna)
Sonia Gandhi’s! - Who influences you more, Gandhi or Nehru? (@dna)
Gandhiji is easy to admire but difficult to emulate. On the other hand, one can identify more personally with Nehruji and his values, his style… - Was writing books a conscious decision initially or a natural extension of your thought process? (@dna)
It was a conscious decision. Articles in newspapers and magazines went out with the week’sraddi. I wanted to write for posterity, not for thebikriwalla! - On a lighter note, how come more Congress leaders write autobiographies and books than do politicians from other parties? (@dna)
We have more to say, more ideas to offer, and more experiences to recall! - Do you feel shackled to be “politically correct” while writing, since you are now a politician? (@dna)
I try not to write about matters I am obliged to be politically correct about. And even on those, I am rarely deemed to be politically correct! - When was your first writing published? What was your state of mind at the time? (@Cortevez)
I was ten. I was tremendously excited to see my name in print for the first time. It made me a recidivist! - What did you write about? (@calamur)
My early writing was largely derivative: a short story set in the US Civil War, a serialized novella about World War II (with the pace of Biggles), and so on. - What made a 10-year-old you write? (@calamur)
I had a boyhood without TV or Play Station or computers. Books were my only entertainment, and writing was my natural response. - What books are you reading now? (@dna)
Piled on my bedside: Aatish Taseer’sThe Way Things Were; Dirk Collier’s The Emperor’s Writings; and David Davidar’s (ed.) Clutch of Indian Masterpieces. - Please recommend 5 non-fiction books that one must read. (@Shubhakhanna)
The Mahabharata; Nehru’sDiscovery of India; Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations; and Autobiography of a Yogiby Paramahansa Yogananda. - Can you tell us briefly about the central theme of your new bookIndia Shastra? (@dna)
The central theme ofIndia Shastra is contemporary India i.e. the last five years and the first six months of the Modi government, including political, social, as well as economic overviews and analyses. - What do you feel is the biggest change in you as an author over the years- from a 6-year-old to now? (@debasis87)
I’ve got better! Age brings the ability to express complex ideas and emotions in clearer language with depth that comes from experience. - Do you plan to return to writing fiction soon? (@dna)
Yes. I have too many discarded novels in my computer. This year I must start one I can stick to! - How do you deal with a writer’s block? (@RaiSwatiRai)
I just keep writing. Our drivers, sweepers, and cobblers are not allowed the luxury of claiming a block; why should writers be? - Looking back, what do you think is your best work? (@dna)