779 Musings on the advice of Mr. Subramanian Swamy to BJP Leadership about Indian Ministers wearing suits and looking like WAITERS, and Robert Vadras response to it

Mr. Subramanian Swamy is reported to have tweeted: "...BJP should direct our Ministers to wear traditional and modernised Indian clothes while abroad. In coat and tie they look like waiters. — Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) June 24, 2016". A reply for this atrocious tweet has come from an unexpected quarters, Mr. Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Ms. Sonia Gandhi, Congress President, and the De-facto Ruler of India 2004-2014. Reply: "...So is there no dignity in being a Waiter ?! The attention seeking BJP MP Swamy's comment "Ministers who wear a coat and tie “look like waiters” and must be instructed to wear Indian clothes." Undermining waiters who work hard for a living; making condescending and derogatory remarks about them is deplorable and classist...

Now, it is the turn of Mr. Subramanian Swamy to wield his sword of words:

"People giving me unasked for advice of discipline and restraint don't realise that if I disregard discipline there would be a bloodbath."

I said I am the most disciplined person. If I was indisciplined, there would not be what they called as bloodshed. Bloodshed did not mean blood spilling. Bloodshed means there will be chaos. And I said that because I am disciplined, nothing of that kind happened,

"... I think Mr.Vadra should concentrate on staying out of jail and not comment on political issues: Subramanian Swamy pic.twitter.com/Lq3GWh5nDN. ... — ANI (@ANI_news) June 25, 2016".

Here is a link for those who wish to study this exchange of dialogues between Mr. Subramanian Swamy and Mr. Robert Vadra. Click to go to Firstpost.com, to study their report.

According to the FirstPost's web page linked above, Mr. Swamy's tweet apparently intended a reference to Mr. Arun Jaitley's wearing a lounge suit when he met in China, Bank of China's Chairman Tian Guoli. Mr. Swamy's advice is to BJP's Leaders.

Later, Mr. Swamy praised the dress of Mr. Arun Jaitley. It may be some reconciling exercise.

WHY DID IT PROBABLY HURT MR. ROBERT VADRA?

It seems that Mr. Robert Vadra's Mother had worked as a Waitress in Italy in the past.

Besides, Mr. Swamy has made allegations of corruption against Mr. Robert Vadra, saying

"... Vadra made a lot of money, it is called the Vadra school of management, but the dean of that school was (Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh) Hooda. He has to be prosecuted under Prevention of Corruption Act. ..."

The alert caution given by Mr. Swamy to Mr. Vadra "I think Mr.Vadra should concentrate on staying out of jail" is referring to the allegations of his fraudulent land deals in Hariyana and Rajasthan. This caution is somewhat acerbic.

Thus, Mr. Swamy's comments seem to be hurling stones against everybody at random, and sometimes deliberate against selected individuals. Anyway he is very active since the 2014 victory of BJP, like a tiger on a prowl.

Many people love wearing impressive dresses, sometimes to boost the personal image of themselves within themselves (like that when a person looks into a mirror and congratulates himself), and sometimes to impress others. As the practice is universal, it is difficult to regard it as something totally undesirable.



In the early days of his annointment to the Crown of India, Mr. Narendra Modi- PM of India, also showed a penchant to wear suits.

ybrao-a-donkey's humble comments. वैबीराव एक गधे के विनम्र राय . వైబీరావ్ గాడిద వినమ్ర వాణి. You have every right to differ with me. I respect your right. आपको मेरे मत से भिन्न राय रखने के संपूर्ण हक है। मै उस अधिकार को परिपूर्ण रूप से गौरव देता हुँ. మీకు, మీ భిన్నమైన అభిప్రాయాన్ని కలిగిఉండే సంపూర్ణ హక్కు ఉంది. దానిని ఎంతో నేను గౌరవిస్తాను. However, pl. examine this donkey's views also. परन्तु एस गधे के दृष्टिकोण को भी अनुशीलन कीजिये. కానీ ఈ గాడిద దృష్టికోణాన్ని కూడ ఓర చూపుతో కంటజూడుమీ, క్రీగంట జూడమీ.

Mr. Subramanian Swamy seems to have nursed a desire to become Finance Minister in the Cabinet of Mr. Narendra Modi, probably in 2014 itself. Of course, in spite of his maverick methods and weirdo ways, afterall, like Mr. Raghuram Rajan, Mr. Swamy is also a Professor, and an Economist of Harvard Recognition. If at all he has nursed such ambition or desire or wish, there is nothing wrong in it, anyway I am not here to pass value judgements. But, somehow, Mr. Narendra Modi preferred Mr. Arun Jaitley as Finance Minister, a Lawyer by Profession.

BRIEF COMPARISON OF MR. JAITLEY AND MR. SWAMY

A comparison of Mr. Arun Jaitley and Mr. Subramanian Swamy may need a 100 pages to write about. Prima facie, it appears that Mr. Arun Jaitley is a successful Supreme Court lawyer, is professionally a pecuniary-conquerer in the context of the 21st Century Values, and financially a business-moolah earner, practical-and-pragmatic professional owing to overexposure to Indian Business, Corporate and Legal Environment, whereas Mr. Subramanian Swamy is a scholarly-professor (I do not want to call him pedantic which is a derogatory adjective) knowledgeable person, with a legal bent of mind arguing his own cases, but apparently he is not a business-man running businesses, acquiring gold, real estate etc. His wealth might have been based either his family-inheritances or his wife-herself-a-Supreme-Court Advocate's acquisitions. What I mean to say is, that Mr. Swamy may not have a money-earning bent of mind , which seems to be a prerequisite for a Finance Minister of Capitalist Environments. At the same time, he is not a Sanyasi or Muni. Mr. Swamy seems to be a bird of DIFFERENT FEATHERS, distinct FROM THE FEATHERS OF Mr. Narendra Modi or Mr. Arun Jaitely. Nevertheless, like Mr. Jaitley, he too seems to have Corporate Links and Corporate Support, though may not be on the same magnitude and scale as Mr. Jaitley.

Question: Why Mr. Modi did not take Mr. Swamy into Cabinet in 2014, and entrusted him some other Ministry, if not Finance. Why did he entrust it to a novice like Ms. Sitaraman? Will he take Mr. Swamy into Cabinet now?

Ans: Vajpayee, our First BJP Prime Minister, took Mr. Swamy into his 1999-2004 Cabinet, and gave him Commerce Ministry. Mr. Narendra Mody too ought to have done a similar thing in 2014. But, Mr. Narendra Modi seems to have some marked preferences for novices like Ms. Sitaraman, Ms. Smriti Irani, when compared to Seniors like Mr. Swamy, Mr. Arun Shourie et al., because Seniors may have "their own views" and their own "self-esteem". They may not show obedience of required magnitude. About Mr. Modi taking Mr. Swami into Cabinet now: Mr. Modi's advisers i.e. Mr. Arun Jaitley, Mr. Ameet Shaw, Mr. Mohan Bhagavat RSS Chief, may have to give green signal. The green signal may come,or may not come.

Like Mr. Raghuram Rajan, Mr. Arvind Subramanian,-- Mr. Subramanian Swamy is also a bourgeoisie economist of the Harvard, IMF and London Schools. As already pointed out in our blogpost No. 776 Click to read 776, these are all only bourgeoisie fibs and fisticuffs. We need not bother about them much. We have to focus more on Socialist Economics, and Socialist Economists (that tribe is too small).

For those who wish to read about Prof. Subramanian Swamy's wish, here is an interview: Click here if you wish to study Mr. Swamy's Interview to TelegraphIndia.com at their website.



Mr. Narendra Modi is very fond of wearing dresses, head-gear, hats, turbans, suits, coats, kurtas. The criticism which Mr. Narendra Modi received, when he appeared in a very expensive suit gifted to him by his one of his admirers , -- on the occasion of his welcoming U.S. President Barack Obama in Delhi, has made him to shed the suit, get it auctioned, and money donated for charity. But his tryst with great-expensive-dressing continues, notwithstanding his chaiwallah background, in spite of his displayed affinity to the renunciation of Swami Vivekananda. Apart from self-declared renunciations, they have the common factor of love for coats, though Vivekananda was addicted to cigars, while Mr. Narendra Modi is not. Vivekananda was a fan of non-vegetarian food, while Mr. Modi displays his love for vegetarian food.

Now, Prof. Subramanian Swamy has to clarify whether his preaching "...BJP should direct our Ministers to wear traditional and modernised Indian clothes while abroad. In coat and tie they look like waiters. — Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) June 24, 2016" will apply to Mr. Narendra Modi also?

In all fairness to Mr. Swamy, whatever be his other strengths and weaknesses, he is prima facie, reasonably meticulous about his wearing INdian style dresses. I am unable to trace even a single photo on internet which shows Mr. Swamy in his Western Suit. However, like most political leaders of India, he too seems to be very particular in appearing as an IMPECCABLY DRESSED PERSON. Though Swami Vivekananda was credited with a repartee of conversation whereby he highlighted the importance of character, when compared to dress--

“Can't you wear proper clothes to look like a gentleman?”

Swami Vivekananda smiled and said, “In your culture, a tailor makes a gentleman; but, in our culture, Character makes gentleman.”

--Swami Vivekananda too, while in United States and Europe spent money and time on impeccable dressing. (Mahatma Gandhi and Tanguturi Prakasam seem to have reversed this trend in India).

We shall now go back to the end-19th Century years of United States and Swami vivEkAnanda. Swamiji wrote to Alasinga from Metclaff, Mass. on 20.8.1893:

From this village I am going to Boston tomorrow. I am going to speak at a big Ladies' Club here, which is helping Ramabai. I must first go and buy some clothing in Boston. If I am to live longer here, my quaint dress will not do. People gather by hundreds in the streets to see me. So what I want is to dress myself in a long black coat, and keep a red robe and turban to wear when I lecture. This is what the ladies advise me to do, and they are the rulers here, and I must have their sympathy. Before you get this letter my money would come down to somewhat about £70 of £60. So try your best to send some money. It is necessary to remain here for some time to have any influence here.

In the same letter quote:

"...Just now I have been to the tailor and ordered some winter clothings, and that would cost at least Rs. 300 and up. And still it would not be good clothes, only decent. Ladies here are very particular about a man's dress, and they are the power in this country...."

By the 1893 price levels, a sum of Rs. 300 and up must have been very high for vivEkAnanda's fancy and alasinga's back (because he had to send the money to vivEkAnanda). Poor alasinga had to bear this burden, because he had to enable vivEkAnanda to have influence with the American big ladies, who advise him to wear what and win their sympathies. alasinga should save vivEkAnanda from looking queer. Can't a monk have courage to face crowds? Ans: An ascetic or monk should not be afraid of looking queer or unnatural. Whatever way the onlookers may see him or mock at him, a true ascetic will not take their actions and reactions into cognizance.

It is worth quoting bhartruhari here, the great poet of the first millennium India gave birth to:

Sanskrit: camd`aaloo kim ayam? dvijaatir athavaa s`uudroo atha? kim taapasaha?
kim vaa tattva viveeka pees`ala matir yogiis`varaha koo api kim?
iti utpanna vikalpa jalpa mukharair aabhaashyamaan`aa janair
na kruddhaupathi naiva tusht`a manasoo yaanti svayam yoginaha .96

English: Those who see the ascetic on the path, will be wondering who this person is! Is he an outcast? Is he a Priest? Is he of a low caste? A person doing penance? A scholarly saint who can distinguish between strains of principles of philosophy? Who ever he is? The passersby will be estimating and commenting about him. But the ascetic himself will not get irritated and in a contented and serine mode he proceeds. (vairAgya Satakam verse No. 96.)

SOMETHING YBRAO-A-DONKEY'S PERSONAL (autobiographical)

Sorry for writing personal stuff. But, the initial purpose of blogs in their early days was to write about personal web-logs, a sort of personal diaries. Gradually, the element of personal experiences vanished from the scene. May be because, blog-writers felt "Who will read your personal fetishes, unless you are a celebrity film-star, Head of a State or Head of a Government or some billionnaire?".

I am writing something personal, whatever it is worth for. In 1976 while working in a Bank, I was preparing for a job-promotion interview. My office colleagues and my immediate superior-bosses advised me to attend the job-interview in a suit. The general impression prevailing then was that impeccable dress is important in job interviews. According to them, it creates a good first impression.

In my life till then (1950/1-1976), I did never wear a suit, or tie or shoes. From 1950 to 1968 I was without any footwear, walking with bare feet even in hot summer or on thorny paths. My family could not afford to buy comforts or luxuries like chappals, not to write of school shoes. About these things, some other day, in some other blog post, I shall write separately.

I was unwilling to buy ties and suits just for the sake of two interviews. Nor there was time to get suits stitched (in those days readymade suits were not so much popular). My uncle borrowed a suit from a colleague of his, and helped me, teaching me to wear a tie and the coat.

I appeared the two job-interviews in suit, with a tie around my neck like vAsuki around Lord Shiva (sorry for an audacious and arrogant simile). In one interview, I failed because my job-knowledge was poor. I could not reply anything satisfactorily. Besides, suit was suffocating me, though there was A/C in the interview room.

In the second interview too, I failed because I had an argument with the Head of the Interviewing board and others, about Socialism and Rural Poverty. At that time, I was immature, emotionally, and not a practical person (even now, presumably I am not a practical person). It was my natural trait to argue on socio-economic issues even with slightest provocation and stimulus. Another observation: The top-boss heading the interview board was wearing a open-shirt of short-sleeves, while I was suffocating in borrowed suit. This made me nervous, and self-introspective, disjoined my chain of thoughts.

So, thus, the suit did not help in both the instances. Impressions created by "suits" and "impeccable dresses" are not substitutes for ESSENTIALS to fulfil any task. Next year, I again succeeded in written tests, and appeared another interview in my shabby dress, but with improved job-knowledge, control of emotions. Succeeded, notwithstanding shabby dress. Subsequently, even after becoming an Officer, I have never bought, borrowed or worn a tie or a suit or shoes.

HOW TRADE UNIONS AND WORKERS' ASSOCIATIONS CAN INFLUENCE BEHAVIORS OF MEMBERS

In our Bank, in 1970's, Officers used to wear ties regularly and routinely. In addition to that, they used to store COATS in Office cupboard, and when they were called by top-bosses on any work, they used to take out the coats from cupboards, wear the coats, and then only enter the Chambers of the top-bosses.

In one particular year, their Association gave a call of Non-Cooperation, and advised its members to temporarily stop wearing ties and suits, during the currency of their agitation.

The members stopped wearing suits and ties permanently, even while entering into the rooms of top-bosses.

CONCLUSION

Whatever we do externally (conversations, dresses, etiquette, feasting, hosting, etc. etc.) to impress others and bring them into a favourable disposition towards us, the end result will depend on circumstances, environment, situations, numerous other deciding factors, relating to both us and them. Mr. Narendra Modi and Mr. Xi Jinping sat and swang in a swing, in a friendly mode. But, DID IT DETER Mr. Xi Jinping from blocking the entry of India into NSG Group, quoting some rule!! It did not deter, because they are ALL trivial, when it comes to BUSINESSLIKE BEHAVIORS of individuals, Corporates and Organisations, and Heads of Nations and Governments. This is a world of Lucre!

So, what is the use of Mr. Subramanian Swamy bringing in the issue of "WAITERS" into picture, and make them a subject of comparison, to BJP Ministers visiting abroad and trying to impress their foreign hosts?

It is hightime that Prof. Subramanian Swamy recognises the dignity of labor of WAITERS and stop making comparisons which insult them.

When an intellectual upgradation of Proletariat (Working Class) takes place-- this is a dream, I hope that Professors will also be given a few hours of physical labor every day, working inter-alia as WAITERS, COOKS, AND DISH-CLEANERS. They can be given a three hour duty of cooking in Community Kitchens, and serving in Community Hostels, while reducing their LECTURING TIME.

To continue. सशेष. ఇంకా ఉంది.