That the boys and girls of tomorrow do not have to worry about a means of livelihood has once again been stressed by Prime Minister Nehru. Even if the youngsters cannot do well both in Arts and Sciences, they have nothing to worry. They have nothing to worry provided they can shout. Just as the country needs trained teachers and technicians to implement the Plan, the country will continue to need politicians, a tribe that need no particular qualification, according to the Prime Minister.
Shouting is a great art. It is a science too. Its rules are absolutely unwritten but the born student of shouting picks them up instinctively……The Prime Minister has now conceded that it is the prerogative of the politician to shout whether it is election time or not. Considering the number of speeches that are made by politicians and reported in newspapers, it is almost certain that shouting is not only their prerogative but their principal avocation. It is said that the longevity of a politician can be measured by the number of elections he has won, the assumption being election winning depends upon a pair of voluminous and doughty lungs which invariably stand for robust health.
When a politician attains more
than average proficiency in shouting,
he is either appointed a deputy
minister or sent abroad on cultural missions. If it is a woman shouter, she is either given a safe constituency or her opponents are made to withdraw. Many politicians will be thankful if you oppose their performance in public and not ignore them. Like Oscar Wilde, most politicians prefer to be talked about in society rather than being respected in private.
(EDIT, February 17, 1957.)
