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Shashi Tharoor Just Had A Reddit AMA Session And He Answered All Questions Like A Boss

byVinay Devnath
29th March 2017
3 minute read

Few politicians are really accessible to the common citizens of our country. And with most of the young and aware population on the Internet, that number becomes even less. But still, Biju Janata Dal leader, Tathagatha Sathpathy broke all conventions and had an honest Ask Me Anything session on Reddit.

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And now it is the oratory trailblazer, Shashi Tharoor, who became accessible to the youth of India where he answered a variety of questions, ranging from the silly, to the most debated. And here’s what he said –

1. Shashi Tharoor thinks that India’s relationship with Donald Trump will be politically beneficial.

Question – Would you say that there is a hope for US to be relatively less sneaky and doing that sort of thing (like vetoing your candidature) under President Trump?

Shashi Tharoor – I think our relationship with president Trump is going to be interesting and potentially beneficial…. despite the legitimate concerns that some of his domestic priorities may impact India adversely.

 

2. Tharoor was even asked whether his toothpaste had salt in it or not!

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Question – Kya aapke toothpaste me namak hai?

Shashi Tharoor – Alas, I have never checked the ingredients of my toothpaste! Dekh loonga namak hain ya nahin.

 

3. He even gave nifty tips to improve your public speaking skills

Question – What characterizes an effective orator?

Shashi Tharoor – An ability to connect to the audience. Know your subject so they find it worthwhile to listen to you. Say it interestingly. Tailor what you have to say to those listening — eg jokes work with some audiences and not with others. Don’t speak in a dull monotone. And don’t outlast their patience!

 

4. He even gave a forecast whether homosexuality will be legalized in Kerala

Question – How confident are you in decriminalization of Homosexuality in Kerala?

Shashi Tharoor – cautiously optimistic. The law Ministry is in favour; the CM has to take a political call.

 

5. He spoke about the long-standing issue of ‘brain drain’ and skilled students migrating to western countries for greener pastures

Question – A large number of Educated Indians especially the young ones are thinking to migrate to West or are being heavily influenced by the NRI’s to do it. What are your views on it and how should this problem be solved?

Shashi Tharoor – They should go if they are attracted, but they should come back after gaining some experience and some $ — both because India needs them, and because there’s no place like Home! 2.Start with reading my book An Era of Darkness and getting students to read it too.

 

6. One user even asked about the current issue of making Aadhar cards compulsory for everyone.

Question – What are your views on Aadhar being made compulsory against the Supreme Court’s order?

Shashi Tharoor – Waiting for the Supreme Court to pronounce its final verdict on this.

 

Now that is called a civil answer to a rude question!

He was there for an hour, but he did answer to almost all the reasonable questions put forth in front of him.

Let’s hope we get an AMA from PM Modi soon enough. It is time politicians had a candid chat with the Internet community.

Thank you for being such a good sport, Mr. Tharoor!

You can read the full Reddit AMA(Ask Me Anything) thread here.

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