I write this letter to help me come out of this confusion that my fellow walking mates have caused in my mind. I do not understand politics and politicians. So i seek your guidance.
Here are the extracts of the conversation that my friends had this morning.
I normally do not take part in any political discussions. I have understood that discussing politics is the surest way to lose friends. Yet this conversation seemed interesting , so I heard them intently, without uttering a word.
Here is the conversation between my friends. I do not want my friends to get annoyed at me, so I am not using their names. I am just calling them X, Y and Z.
X: I just saw the news that the CPM leader Sitaram Yechury passed away.
Y: Yes.. I also read the news. Quite a few obituaries have come.
Z: For someone, who did not occupy any important position in government I am surprised why there is so much coverage ?
X : I think he was quite popular among the journalists. After all his wife is also a journalist.
Y : Did you know he was a CBSE Rank holder No. 1 in the Higher Secondary Exam. He also got a first rank in BA from St Stephens.
Z: What a waste of talent !!
X : Why? He has done reasonably well. He was Rajya Sabha member for 2 terms . He was General Secretary of CPM.
Z: Is that any achievement ? Secretary of a dying party. No official position. Persons with lesser or no qualifications make it to top positions in the government.
Y : Apparently he lived a very simple life. He used to proudly say that he was living of his wife's income.
Z: Board topper and you end up living on wife's salary? Pathetic. If he had pursued his career seriously anywhere, rather than getting distracted by Communist ideology , he would have done well for himself.
X: I am sure he could have easily made into IAS or went abroad and made it big in academics. I am sure his classmates and other board toppers from other batches would all have reached high position and made good money also.
Y : Do we know any of them ? Will any obituaries be written of them ? Atleast , he pursued his calling and stuck to the ideology he got attracted to as a student in JNU. He brought his intellect in the parliament debates. He applied his learning to find political solutions to the problems of the country.
X : Yechury has shown he is a thinking and idealistic man by donating his body to AIIMS for medical research.
Z: None of these arguments will make me change my view that Yechury was a loser. A complete waste of talent. Bright guys like him are wasted in politics.
I have high regard for Sitaram Yechury. My condolences to his family. Yet, I am totally confused whether good and educated people like the late Sitaram Yechury must join politics or it is a waste of talent.
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