'Having spent a lifetime in public service, that I should do something that I've never done before, that would stretch me a little bit.'
Long before he became an international diplomat, a sparkling writer and a charismatic politician, Shashi Tharoor fell in love with cricket. In this special feature, Exclusive! to Rediff.com, Tharoor recounts his first encounter with the glorious game when England toured India way back in 1963 when the future Thiruvanathapuram MP was a mere lad of seven, and looks back on the India-England cricketing relationship which celebrates a hundred Tests at Lord's this week.
Reddy alleged that contracts worth thousands of crores were awarded to people close to Modi, who then purchased Rafale aircraft.
'If you don't fulfil whatever they ask, you are in trouble.'
Author and politician Shashi Tharoor chats with Sumita Vaid Dixit about writing, tweeting and world affairs.
Sunanda Pushkar's shocking and 'unnatural' demise has brought Union minister Shashi Tharoor's political career under the scanner, and with no leniency being shown by the Congress party, it seems the flamboyant MP will have to fight his own battle, reports Renu Mittal.
Unfazed by criticism, former Union minister Shashi Tharoor opposed death penalty even for terrorists saying it was an "obsolete practice" and they should instead be put behind bars for the rest of their lives without parole.
Former United Nations undersecretary-general Shashi Tharoor during a book signing event of his latest book The Elephant, the Tiger and the Cell Phone at the Asia Society in New York on Monday.
Former United Nations diplomat Shashi Tharoor said on Friday that he will contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls if he was given a chance and gave indications that his preference was Congress.
India succeeded in busting the Pakistani narrative on Operation Sindoor, particularly among the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) member nations, where Islamabad sought succour after carrying out terror activities across the border, Shiv Sena leader Shrikant Shinde said.
The diplomatic exercise aimed at presenting India's stance against Pakistan on terror comes in the wake of Operation Sindoor -- the Indian offensive against terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed.
The sources said Misri reiterated the government's stand that the decision to stop military actions was taken at a bilateral level, as some opposition members questioned US President Donald Trump's repeated assertions about his administration's role in stopping the conflict.
We have nothing to gain by raising our concerns internationally as our narrative has got entangled with several controversial concepts in the United Nations, asserts Ambassador T N Sreenivasan.
Indian nationalism is not based on language, or geography, or ethnicity, or religion, but is that of an idea of an ever-ever land -- emerging from an ancient civilisation, united by a shared history, sustained by pluralist democracy, says Shashi Tharoor in the 5th annual lecture on 'Who is an Indian? A nation of minorities' organised by the National Commission of Minorities
There is no guarantee that if we speak in only Indian languages, all our faults will be washed away and India will shine. Why then do they bully and belittle the English-speaking? asks Shyam G Menon.
Moon has accepted Tharoor's resignation.
The government will send seven all-party delegations to key partner countries, including members of the United Nations Security Council, later this month to convey India's message of zero tolerance against terrorism following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.
'The Pataudi Trophy vanished overnight -- no farewell, no tribute, just a quiet replacement.' 'If a name can be erased this easily, what faith can we place in the permanence of Tendulkar-Anderson?'
What distinguished Shashi from the other senior Indians in the UN Secretariat even in the early years of his career was that he was not paranoid about asserting his international personality to the point of erasing his Indian identity
"I am still examining certain options and I am not yet ready to go public with any of them, but I am looking forward to new professional challenges," he said, and declared, "To live is to embrace change. That's my approach to all of this."
Shashi Tharoor was just back from Delhi after meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with all the other members of Parliament from Kerala, on the Mullaperiyar dam issue. Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier caught him in Thiruvananthapuram for an exclusive interview.
The dearth of genuine Test all-rounders is a stark reality, a worrying fact as not many cricketers offer consistent all-round quality these days, notes Shashi Tharoor.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who faced trolling on social media in the wake of India and Pakistan reaching an understanding on May 10 to halt all military actions, has received support from veteran diplomat Nirupama Menon Rao, a body of Indian diplomats and a host of politicians from several parties.
All-party parliamentary delegations on Monday met with the leaders of several countries and highlighted India's resolve to combat terrorism, which they stressed must be eradicated in the interests of all humanity.
'Tharoor has demonstrated that the public and private lives of politicians should remain separate and that personal happiness should take precedence over the exigencies of politics.'
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has condemned the manner in which Indians staying illegally in the US were deported, calling it an 'insult to India and the dignity of Indians'. He urged the Indian government to issue a message to the US, making it clear that it has no right to deport people in such an 'insulting manner'. Tharoor also pointed out that Colombia had previously refused to accept suspected immigrants of Colombian origin under similar circumstances, officially protesting when people were sent back in handcuffs. He demanded an explanation for the 'atrocious behavior' from the US government.
A delegation of Latin American ambassadors, which visited Thiruvananthapuram when Tharoor was the MoS, were all praise for him for the attention he gave them, particularly to facilitate their visit to his own constituency. Now, with only one MoS in the ministry, the ambassadors from Africa, Latin America and the Gulf have no chance of meeting the MoS. By his exit, Tharoor has left a wide gulf in the ministry
Though the impact of the global meltdown would not be 'drastic' on India's economy, its recovery would be 'stretched', with the slowdown of FDI inflow, he said, delivering the Fedbank Hormis lecture on 'The Global Financial crisis and India's incomplete transformation' in Kochi on Tuesday, organised by Federal Bank. He said the fundamentals of the Indian economy were strong, value of exports was only 13 per cent of GDP.
'The Congress submitted four names to the government as the people who should accompany the delegation.' 'I don't know what happened to those names.' 'When I was approached, I told them to speak to my party.' 'I have no further involvement with this delegation.'
The opposition party's attack came after Shashi Tharoor, not part of the four leaders nominated by the Congress, was named as the head of a delegation to key partner countries to convey India's message of zero tolerance against terrorism following Operation Sindoor.
Several opposition MPs in India have criticized the government's handling of the deportation of Indian citizens from the United States, questioning the treatment they received. A US military aircraft carrying 104 Indian immigrants landed in Amritsar, India, on Wednesday, marking the first batch of Indians deported by the Donald Trump administration as part of a crackdown on illegal immigration. The deportees reported being handcuffed throughout the journey, sparking protests from opposition leaders who staged a demonstration in Parliament wearing handcuffs. While the government maintains it will address the issue at a later time, opposition members condemned the treatment of the Indians and questioned the government's handling of the situation.
'Pruient', 'esurient', 'parturient' and everything in between.
Thiruvananthapuram did not give him a resounding victory, but did not abandon him either. If he learns his lessons and avoids the pitfalls of the past, he will have a bright political future, says T P Sreenivasan.
Poorly supported by the lethargic and self-interested administrators of the Kerala Cricket Association, Kochi Tuskers Kerala had promised to rewrite the cricketing history of the state. Their demise is a blow whose major victim is Kerala cricket itself, writes Shashi Tharoor, member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram
'Shashi Tharoor has publicised whatever little he has done, far more than what he has actually done. Some of the bigger promises he made could never be implemented.' Ajit Joy, a former police officer and Aam Aadmi Party candidate from Thiruvananthapuram, tells Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier that he is a more attractive candidate in his constituency than sitting MP Tharoor.
'It is important India to stay focussed on its primary national objectives: Combating terrorism; not losing sight of other security and strategic concerns (on the Sino-Indian front for instance); ensuring a strong economy and registering growth which includes improving the lot of common people; and finally making certain that the social fabric remains intact and harmony among people is not jeopardised, at least any further,' asserts Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
'Maybe this has created some minor issues which can happen in any party.'
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has criticized the BJP for its allegations that elements in the American "deep state" were behind attempts to destabilize India, saying this "attack-dog" behavior is an embarrassment to India. Tharoor's comments come after the US rejected the BJP's allegations, describing them as "disappointing" and asserting that the US government is a champion of media freedom. The BJP had alleged that the US deep state colluded with the media portal OCCRP and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to "damage" India's image.
The Congress on Monday distanced itself from the controversial comments of some of its leaders on the Pahalgam terror attack, saying that only the recent CWC resolution and the views expressed by AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and authorised AICC office-bearers represent its position. The opposition party's assertion comes in the wake of remarks by leaders like Vijay Wadettiwar, Mani Shankar Aiyar, Shashi Tharoor, Tariq Hameed Karra and Saifuddin Soz that have triggered a row, with the BJP alleging that some from the opposition party were speaking "Pakistan's language".
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