View: Get a juggler, talk up POK, just don’t let the voter get bored
speeches in the ongoing election has hit rock bottom. Everyone is calling the other one a thief, a criminal, a bad cook, or a dynast. The names of Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani are thrown into every second speech as garnishing.
Whether those two billionaires have any political affiliation doesn't matter. They will be brought up regardless. It reminds me of how, in any country, when there is an anti-US demonstration, protesters would throw bricks at KFC outlets. Ambani and Adani are the new KFC for all political parties in this election — even the ones they are supposed to support.
You could blame politicians and say they need to improve their intellectual discourse, turn perhaps to the great speeches of Vajpayee, JP, Nehru (oops) and George Fernandes. However, I don't think it is the politicians' fault. They're looking for any trick in the book to entertain crowds. In the age of social media, the public has changed.
There was a time when Nani Palkhivala used to fill stadiums to give his erudite anecdotal speeches analysing the union budget in English. And it would be packed with people listening in rapt attention.
Today, especially in this scorching heat, armed with a smartphone and a promise of biryani, voters' attention is torn. Even if the politician on the stage is the world's most popular guy. If you go to any rally, the audience is listening to the speech, clapping. Still, half the attention is on YouTube or WhatsApp, distracted perhaps by a Modi viral reel, while the real guy is 500 m from them.
In this
