The excerpts:
In ‘Superstar India’, you capture the new India that grew up with you. Tell me one thing about you that you wish to see in India and vice versa?
In India, I would like to see my never-say-die attitude. India or we, as Indians, are way too tolerant and easily accepting defeat. We tolerate our leaders shirking duty. If you look at any other democracy, people are very demanding and expect their leaders to deliver. Our society is so hierarchical that in a country of more than a billion population, only a very small per cent is involved in decision making.
In myself, I would want to imbibe the extraordinary wisdom and the incredible reserve of tolerance India possesses. We Indians are so compassionate to others which is hard to come by in any other country. When Westerners even dread eye contact with other people, we go all the way out to help our fellow countrymen.
In your book, you say India has arrived...it’s now a super power. But we were not in a position to even condemn the American invasion on Iraq. And during the recent Tibetan uprising, we thought of the Dalai Lama to be a burden on our ‘friendly ties’ with China...
That’s because we allow ourselves to become pawns of politicians. You ask any man on the street what he thinks about American invasion, you won’t get the similar reaction India as a nation took. But unfortunately, it is the voice of just the .001 per cent of the society that is heard outside. This situation should change.
You say more that 50 per cent of Indian population is young. But we don’t have a single young genuine ‘neta’ to represent this population...
Very true. But my question is why don’t young Indians take steps against dynasty politics and corruption? There are plenty of fora where they can voice their opinion what with the Internet becoming so popular with the masses. Media too can play a big part in this. Media is also in the hands of youngsters now. Why are they sticking to the old school? Why don’t they spearhead a change?
Having six children, a feat in itself, what do you think of the DINKs in the metros?
This is a change Europe witnessed decades back. There exists an aging DINK population in Europe that’s suddenly adrift and lamenting. The economic boom India is witnessing is responsible for it. The present society demands both the couples to work. This prosperity comes with a package. The responsibility of women has increased but the support system remains the same as before.
A few weeks into hitting the stands, reviews haven’t been kind to Superstar India...
The particular review you are referring to (in a leading magazine) is a personal attack on me. The person who wrote it is a wife-beater, a freeloader, a frustrated has-been and a menace to the society. There are other ratingsthat has already put the book on the best-seller list. So do I really care about that review?
Arathi Menon
