Why I respect Shashi Tharoor...

Shashi Tharoor is a Member of Indian Parliament. Prior to his current political career in India, he served the United Nations (UN) as the Under-Secretary-General for Communication and Public Information. It is important to note that he was a close second to Ban Ki-Moon in the polls conducted for the post of UN Secretary General.

Shashi Tharoor received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from St. Stephen's College, Delhi. He then went on to receive two Masters degrees and a PhD from Tufts University, all by the age of 22 years. Tharoor happens to be the youngest person in the history of "The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy" to be awarded a doctorate. Despite finishing his thesis, Reasons of State, in a very short time, it is of the caliber of  required reading in courses on Indian foreign-policy making. I wish my 4 or 5 year PhD will produce anything close to that.

Tharoor started writing at a young age of six and published his first novel when he was ten. Currently he has authored eleven books; most of them being bestsellers. He is also a regular contributor to the columns of The Hindu, Times of India and Indian Express. His articles and book reviews have appeared frequently on New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Washington post.

I see Shashi Tharoor as a focused and a brutally efficient person, ready to adopt the ideas of the newer generation, as evident from his tech savvy habits. Unfortunately, his inability to steer away from the controversies and allegations have dented his public image. To me, he remains a winner; would have been my role model, had he stayed clean on the IPL controversy.

TJ