Dr. Shashi Tharoor has always been more than the quintessential politician. A bestselling author with admirers all across the world, a former diplomat at the United Nations, a long-serving member of Parliament from Kerala, and a constant headline-grabber for his quippy remarks and use of the English language in remarkable ways, Dr. Tharoor is a man of many talents.
A prodigal student and an eloquent speaker, Dr. Tharoor shares a special tie with Kolkata, where he spent his high school years. In a conversation with News Ei Samay at the closing ceremony of the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival, Dr. Shashi Tharoor spoke extensively on his love for the City of Joy, how he saw the city, and the changes he notices now.
'Soul of the city is wonderful'
As the city is an intimate part of his life, Dr. Tharoor talked about his time in Kolkata as a high school student, and the changes he now witnesses in the cityscape, also highlighting what has remained constant and evergreen.
"The soul of the city is just so wonderful. I have been here at different phases, and I have seen the bad and the good. I was here at the turn of the sixties, early seventies, when there was violence on the streets, when the Jadavpur University Vice-Chancellor was stabbed and murdered on his own campus; when examinations were disrupted by hooligans and thugs. I have seen that entire phase," Tharoor reminisced. He noted the effect the violence had on him as an adolescent seeking education, saying, "That's what drove me away to St. Stephen's in Delhi for college, because everyone said you can't study in Kolkata when you don't know when the exams will take place, whether they will take place, when the results will come, will there really be results. It was such chaos."
Also Read | Compassion is not a luxury: Maneka Gandhi talks on politics, animal welfare, and the future of India
On the changing cityscape of Kolkata
He also talked about the good and very best Kolkata had to offer. "As I have seen that very bad phase, I have also seen the good years, the prosperity, the cool as it were. I have seen the deep culture, the Kolkata of Badal Sarkar and Utpal Dutt." On the rejuvenation of Kolkata, and what has remained constant, Tharoor said, "Now today there is a kind of newly thriving Kolkata again, with energy, with prosperity, with the entire new city that has come up on the way to the airport, that didn't exist during my student days. So, I love coming to Kolkata and capturing all of this. But of course, above all, it's the culture, it's the food, it's the music. Everything - from Rabindra Sangeet to the book shops of College Street - these are all unchanging aspects of Kolkata life."
Also Read | From code to curry: Techie Surajit Naskar talks on bringing Bengali flavours to life in Pune
For Shashi Tharoor, Kolkata may have changed over the years, but its heart remains the same. Despite its troubled past and modern transformation, the city's culture, creativity, and warmth continue to define it, making Kolkata a place he returns to with deep affection and nostalgia.
