From Obama to Manmohan: the hug that heals

Manmohan Singh has proven to be one of India’s most footloose Prime Ministers ever, and particularly relishes overseas travels. But then, given the hard time he gets at home from the media, the Opposition, and even the Congress’ allies, who can blame him for slipping away every once in a while from the 24x7 hyperactive politicking and the ceaseless criticism by the media and the scams that break with disturbing frequency? Contrast the wholesale lack of respect he commands at home and the gratuitous names he gets called in online forums with the borderline adulatory reception he receives when he meets foreign heads of state, and you have to wonder why Manmohan Singh doesn’t spend more time overseas. [caption id=“attachment_257375” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“In Seoul on Monday, Manmohan Singh even received a hug from Barack Obama. AFP”] [/caption] In Seoul on Monday, Manmohan Singh even received a hug from Barack Obama – an uncharacteristic form of greeting in those circles - and gratifying (even if only formally meant) words of welcome that Singh doesn’t get to hear too often on his home turf. But then Obama has always been demonstratively respectful of Manmohan Singh and his learning, and in public comments has counted on Singh as one of a handful of “friends”whom he “trusts” . And at the 2009 Copenhagen climate change summit, which witnessed hard-as-nails negotiations, Obama more than once turned for counsel to “Mr Guru”, as he addressed Manmohan Singh. In his public comments, Obama has acknowledged Singh’s erudition and economic wisdom in a way that goes beyond protocol and polite-speak – and in a manner that perhaps reflects an inadequate understanding of the fact that these days Singh doesn’t often give public policy at home the benefit of that acclaimed wisdom. Obama’s warmth of manner with personal interactions with foreign dignitaries contrasts sharply with what is perceived as his “aloof” and “distant” manner, as chronicled by body language watchers in the US. Although he stirred people around the world with his lyrical oratory during his presidential campaign of 2008, in more recent times, he has been criticised for a failure to “project warmth”. “He needs to open his heart center…” wrote one commentator . “He needs to open those arms to embrace his audience; he needs to breathe into them the meaning of his words, the energy, the feeling. He needs to soften, not stiffen, to take his audience in, rather than hold them at a distance.” Perhaps Obama took his cue from there, which may account for the very public embrace he gave Singh in Seoul. The body language between these two unlikely world leaders, who are nearly 30 years apart in age, invariably makes for a curious chemistry. Singh, who is otherwise wooden in the way he carries himself, visibly thaws in Obama’s presence. During Obama’s visit to India in November 2010, this was evident in the way a grinning Singh allowed himself to drape his arm around Obama’s waist in an unusual display of affection. When was the last time you’ve seen our Prime Minister show such animation or even just proof of life? Writer Palash Krishna Mehrotra reckons that Singh is a victim of his “natural traits”: his soft-spoken nature, his “slow shuffling gait, like he’s an old illustrious professor, walking into the classroom to take his last glorious lecture”, have been lampooned as a sign of weakness, he observes. In media photographs, Singh is frequently shown walking behind Sonia Gandhi – and in one such, it’s almost like he’s being led by the hand, like a boy being taken to his first kindergarten class, notes Mehrotra. That image will likely endure, given the polarised polity at home and hypercritical political discourse that on occasions dehumanises our leaders. Yet, for a brief moment in Seoul, enveloped in that Presidential embrace from Obama, Manmohan Singh looked almost endearingly human – and perhaps drew solace from knowing that there are people out there who still consider him worthy of a modicum of respect.