Prashant Kishor, a name to reckon with in the political sphere, has taken psephology to new heights (‘We will start in Bihar, but will not be restricted to the state’, May 15). He has broken the traditional campaign style and has evolved as an unchallenged kingmaker at the state and national levels.
Today, Kishor has inspired a breed of psephologists who are infusing new ideas into electioneering and taking it to an altogether new realm where modernity reigns.
However, history is replete with instances of kingmakers trying to become king, and falling flat. So far, Kishor’s choices have mostly been good, however the new road ahead is going to be slippery.
Devendra Awasthi,
Lucknow.
Kishor will join a political party only if the party has a good winnability factor, of at least around 75 per cent. If he thinks the party’s chance of a decent show is poor, Kishor will strategically find faults and get off. Perhaps this is what led to him rejecting the Congress’s offer.
Dilip Gurjar
On email.
On reading the interview with Kishor, I felt that he is naive, tolerant and does not put on airs. He does not blame anybody and takes everything in his stride.
I feel it is too early to comment on Jan Suraaj, Kishor’s “political party”. Only time will prove its feasibility and success. Kishor should think twice before plunging into politics as he appears to be straightforward, unlike many other politicians in the country.
It is better for Kishor to continue working with his I-PAC team and not get carried away by active politics.
D.J. Bhaskar,
On email.
Kishor is right in his observation that no individual, all of a sudden, can change things in a party as old and huge as the Congress. But the Congress should take up Kishor’s suggestions seriously and execute them at the earliest.
The Congress can definitely survive without the Gandhis at the helm. Sonia Gandhi should appoint a young and capable leader as the party president, and remain a nominal head, like the president of India. The same applies to Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi.
After reading your detailed interview with Kishor I get this feeling that he is an extremely down-to-earth person.
Roopika Tokas,
On email.
The Congress badly needed a master strategist like Kishor who could set the agenda for the 2024 general elections. But, as usual, with things moving at a snail’s pace in the Congress and its leaders being reluctant to face change, it looks like the BJP has an easy task ahead.
To have Kishor as the general secretary of the Congress, who reports to the Congress president, was the best chance that the Congress had for a revival. It is now a miss.
Binoj Mathew C.,
On email.
A nonentity like Kishor does not have the political capital to lead from the front. He also does not have any political ideology and is motivated by the desire for money and power.
Political mercenaries like him have no place in our democracy.
I was dismayed and disappointed to see Kishor’s picture on the front page of your prestigious magazine.
Joseph Pinto,
On email.
Umbrellas for sun protection
Your story and graphics on the heat wave was an eye-opener (‘That stinging feel’, May 15). Heat waves are more frequent these days, with a palpable rise in temperatures across the country. The government should prevent the impact of extreme heat among the general population by planting more trees and preserving water bodies.
It might sound like a cliche, but drinking at least 10 glasses of water in a day will help us cope up with the heat. It is also advisable to use umbrellas during the summer, which very few people do. Umbrellas, after all, are not just meant for the rains.
Vrinda Gopi,
On email.
Every summer sees an all-time spike in temperature. Industrialisation, concretisation and vehicle emission contribute towards urban heat. In rural areas, agricultural use of wetlands result in lower temperature.
Planting trees on both sides of roads will absorb heat, and provide relief from the sun. Afforestation in open and in non-farm land are some measures that will help in reducing heat.
R.V. Baskaran,
On email.
A one-set match
Micro-fiction, as a movement, looks interesting, but it can never replace absolute, unabridged literature (‘No small change’, May 15). The works of William Shakespeare, Bernard Shaw, Charles Dickens, D.H Lawrence, O. Henry and Somerset Maugham were all time-tested classics, rich in its entirety.
If a reader loses interest beyond 240 words, as said by a poet in your article, it is only because of an insular perception of the present generation, which feigns lack of time and schedule for reading. Just as in cricket, abbreviated versions thrill and amuse, but they are a pale imitation of Test cricket.
At best, micro-fiction is like a hypothetical one-set grand-slam final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Sanath Kumar T.S.,
On email.