Shashi Tharoor

Ever heard of the word ‘recalcitrance’? Before you Google it, know a little something about the man who prompted us all to do so. An Indian politician, acclaimed writer, ex-diplomat, a current Member of Parliament and now a stand-up comic taking the centre stage or simply a ‘polymath’ as he would call it, Shashi Tharoor is nothing short of a modern day Renaissance man. If you suffer from Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia or the fear of long words, it is advised you stop right here because this is one of those words casually inserted in a conversation by Mr. Tharoor himself. Being scripturient, he has authored 18 bestselling works of fiction and non-fiction since 1981, centred on India and its history, culture, film, politics, society, foreign policy, and related themes. His articles have also been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The TIME Newsweek, The Times of India. Having conferred upon the honorary from the University of Bucharest to being announced as PETA’s Person of the Year, Mr. Tharoor distinguishes as one of the brightest gems of the country. Guess this wasn’t enough for him when he decided to take the mic and feature in a recent gig as a stand-up comic. As a cogent orator scaling new heights of the English language, he may not be new to the stage but was certainly new to speaking a language he had never come across. But then he has always been amusing us with his exotic words and the smile he brings to our faces when we realise their meaning. The funny thing is people believe he carries around a dictionary wherever he goes. Little do they know that the dictionary is for them.