The English tongue-twister that even wordsmith Shashi Tharoor trips on

Shashi Tharoor, the muti-faceted Parliamentarian from
Kerala, in an exclusive interview with  Opoyi, talks about his interests beyond politics. The 64-year-old diplomat-politician-writer, who has often confessed his love for Thiruvananthapuram, speaks about his
favourite food, his culinary skills, and the words that have the wordsmith in him foxed. Read on.

Opoyi: If MPs were to enact Mahabharata, which role will you select for yourself and for Prime Minister Modi?

Tharoor:
I would like to think I’d make a good Krishna, but must content myself
with being VedaVyasa, the chronicler who is also a participant in some
of the events. The PM would no doubt want to play Bhim – with his
56-inch chest – though the Opposition might have some less flattering
options for him.

Opoyi: Which Malayalam word is a tongue twister for you?

Tharoor:
Would be easier to ask which ones are not! I’m trying to expand my
vocabulary regularly so I do eventually get my tongue around them, but
among words frequently used in political speeches, I often stumbled on
vishadeekaranam (explanation).

Opoyi: Which English word is a tongue twister for you?

Tharoor: Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia: ironically, the fear of long words!

Opoyi: We know about your love for Idli, what comes after Idli?

Tharoor:
What comes with idli is the key question—in my case coconut chutney,
molaga podi with ghee, and above all, pungent ulli samandi. After that
is daylight, then thin-crust wood-fired pizzas, and nut-filled milk
chocolate.

Opoyi: Favourite city in the world?

Shashi Tharoor:
Rolling green hills, glorious beaches, immense history, wonderful
people, and world-beating cuisine: Thiruvananthapuram, of course!

Opoyi: One regret in life?

Shashi Tharoor:  My work keeps me constantly busy – I wish I had more time to read and write.

Opoyi: Which dish can you cook to near perfection?

Shashi
Tharoor:  I am fairly proud of my idlis and would often make them in
bulk during my years overseas. But I will shame-facedly confess that
since acquiring a full-time cook I have not stepped into the kitchen, so
whatever limited culinary talents I had have probably atrophied.

Opoyi: The book currently by your bedside?

Shashi
Tharoor:  Just recently finished Pavan Verma’s excellent translation
and commentary on the Ramcharitamanas, which I also had the pleasure of
launching, and am about to start Ira Mukhoty’s biography of Akbar. Apart
from that, I have been caught up with a lot of preparatory reading
while doing research for my upcoming book on nationalism, published by
Aleph, and which is due to hit all good bookstores by November.

Opoyi: What did you miss most during the lockdown?

Shashi
Tharoor:  Being able to attend Parliament, for one thing – even the
standing committees, one of which I chair, have been unable to meet
despite my repeated requests. Though I have been busy dealing with
multiple issues by email and telephone, and have addressed innumerable
webinars, I miss being able to do my job as an MP to its fullest extent.

Opoyi: If not a diplomat-politician, what would you have been?

Shashi
Tharoor: A writer—though I already get to be that. But as I have often
said, I am already a former diplomat and may one day be a ‘former
politician’. But I hope never to be a ‘former writer’.