Ambedkar would have been appalled by majoritarianism in rural India: Shashi Tharoor

Shashi Tharoor, writer, politician and former international civil servant, ingeniously weaves together several worlds of experience. A three-term Lok Sabha MP representing Thiruvananthapuram and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology, the former Minister of State for Human Resource Development and External Affairs in the Government of India is an unusual figure in Indian politics.

He has written as many as 22 books, including the most recent biography of Indian reformer BR Ambedkar titled Ambedkar: A Life. The Free Press Journal caught up with Tharoor during his book launch at Tata Literature Live at NCPA.

In this conversation, the author and politician talks about his idea of ​​India, Ambedkar and his vision in today’s political scenario, his idea of ​​liberalism and more.

How has working on this book changed you? Was it a challenge not to be a Dalit and to write an authentic book on Dr. Ambedkar?

Writing about Ambedkar was very important to me when I wrote a column talking about my own indifference to caste and was rebuffed by a young Dalit blogger who said, “What a statement of privilege is that because only the privileged can afford to they say they are indifferent to caste. No Dalit in India can grow up ignoring caste.

It suddenly made me realize how little some Hindus are aware of what people among us have to endure. I thought we needed to write a book that younger people could read, that was accessible and that contained all the key elements of life, but also left room to appreciate his legacy. I did that for Nehru which worked out well. I am sure one day people will feel the same about Ambedkar’s book.

Did not being a Dalit become a hindrance while writing this book?

Yes, it was a challenge and I was acutely aware that I could easily be fired on that basis alone. You’re talking about experiences that people have gone through that are personal to them, and here you’re trying to show some appreciation for that, but with detachment because you’ve never suffered and that’s a problem for many.

Do you think Dr. Ambedkar’s ideas about India and its people were more progressive than what we think today?

Absolutely! He was way ahead of his time in his thoughts and ways. One of the most striking is feminism, which is greatly underestimated today. In the 1920s and 1930s, she spoke to women, particularly Dalit women, and asked them to stand up for their rights to their husbands as well. He legislated for birth control. He failed, but he tried. He wanted labor rights and equal pay for the women we’re talking about now.

Your range is varied when it comes to writing books. What inspires you?

All my writings in some way scratch the itch of what it means to be Indian and what India means to all of us. For me, we have an extraordinary experiment. I believe that India is not just a country but an adventure. Therefore, for me, understanding it, accepting it, exploring it, filling the background with what should matter, all this is very important.

You have always emphasized knowing your background, culture and history, as well as knowing your past. How important is it when you want to look into the future?

It’s like a child knowing who his grandparents are or where they came from. If you don’t know where you came from, how would you estimate where you are going? You still focus on where you are going, but you also need to know where you came from.

In your books, you often talk about your roots, parents and upbringing. In Pride, Prejudice and Punditry: The Essential, you talk about your mother’s expectations. Did you live up to her expectations and do you think parents should still have expectations for their children?

I’d like to think my late father would be happy enough. A lot of the things I do are largely in fulfillment of the things he admired and valued. He loved words, so using words in a constructive way would appeal to him. He loved books, was a good writer, but never published anything, and would have been glad I had done so. When The Great Indian Novel came out, I remember him jokingly but proudly saying that “I am the author of the author”. He was very interested in politics.

My mother is not particularly happy. She was never interested in politics. She despises this world. She is one of those typical middle class Indian women who say “you should do well in your exams and get a good job and have a family and soon”. She keeps telling me to leave politics, so I’m not sure if I can talk about my parents equally.

As for expectations, we all have them. But above all, the expectations that we should have are that the children do not get disappointed and that they understand quite early what their potential is. They must realize this potential. Not that everyone can do everything. I think those who don’t challenge themselves are the biggest disappointment.

When you say that, I feel it’s about freeing an individual. You call yourself a liberal. Do you think there are consequences to liberalism, especially in politics?

The point is that I support a certain attitude towards life as well as towards politics. I don’t judge people, I accept them for who they are and want them to be who they are and do what they want as long as they don’t hurt anyone in the process.

Liberalism is not a free-for-all. It says that you are free to be who you are, to become what you want, and to believe what you believe, as long as it does not infringe on other people’s rights. This is the basis of my life and political philosophy.

You have argued on many crucial and important issues, disagreed with others many times and reminded many of the right thing. What is your vision for India?

It is a large, diverse, multiple land with an ancient civilization of which we should all be proud, but which is shaped by a number of forces, very diverse and discrete. These separate forces must be accommodated and recognized as part of making India what it is. Above all, India is a country that represents the aspirations of one and a quarter billion people and probably more in a century. Some of the choices and decisions India takes will affect human civilization.

On a lighter note, have you written beautiful and remarkable books on the political history of India? Do you like being called a cultural historian or theorist?

Neither. I am a writer and a human being with a range of reactions to the world around me, some of which I display in my writing, some of which I display in my work and political speeches.

If Ambedkar were alive today, what do you think he would be? Would he just be a social media activist or a professor at some foreign university?

Mahatma Gandhi had a habit of expressing himself so succinctly that he was born for the age of Twitter. He had all these one-liners that summed up oceans of knowledge, whereas Ambedkar was someone who spoke for something broader, so I don’t think social media would have been his platform.

I see him as a member of the Rajya Sabha. He would be horrified by the majoritarianism that prevails in rural India today. Bhakti in politics is known to be the worst thing.

This country is full of statues of great people. What would be his view of India today?

I think we have not gone far in the destruction of caste. Ambedkar wanted to destroy the system completely. He would probably be horrified to see that the caste regime had become more entrenched. That political parties who are against discrimination and untouchability are still seeking votes in the name of caste. Every caste now realizes that its identity has become a marker for political mobilization. Ambedkar would not approve of it.