Dr. Tharoor's Phil's-O-sophy

Dr. Tharoor at Oxford Bookstore, New Delhi.

When talking about the works of Dr. Shashi Tharoor, whimsical originality and sharp wit are hardly strangers. As someone in love with the daunting intellect of this man, I was thrilled to meet him at Oxford Bookstore for an event organized by RedFM. Determined to get my copy of An Era of Darkness signed, I raced to the venue—only to discover that getting anywhere near him was like trying to push a camel through the eye of a needle. To make matters worse, the store wouldn’t even allow me to bring my book in. Mission failed :(

But a total loss it could not be. I resolved to get at least some of his work signed. My eyes immediately scanned the shelves for the cheapest book—and landed on The Less You Preach, the More You Learn: Aphorisms for Our Age. Not the cheapest, as it turned out, but the cover’s charm and the dry wit of the title won me over. This, not-so-slim, volume was the fruit of a collaboration between Dr. Tharoor and his longtime, beloved colleague, Joseph Zacharia.

At first, I was a little intimidated by the word aphorism. A quick Google search rescued me: aphorisms are simply short, pithy pearls of wisdom—usually harvested after one has spent an obnoxiously long time on this planet. Fair enough. At 22, I may not qualify, although I do have my own collection; Dr. Tharoor, at 69, certainly does.

Unlike his weightier works, this one didn’t demand meticulous annotation or hours of brainpower. But as I flipped through the pages, I couldn’t help but laugh—wasn’t this basically Phil’s-osophy from Modern Family? Only here, it had been dressed up with diplomacy and Tharoor’s inimitable penmanship. Whether or not Dr. Tharoor is as “cool a dad” as Phil Dunphy remains a question for his children to answer. Jokes aside, this is a book that takes little of your time but engages much of your mind.

Packed with 222 aphorisms (look at me, comfortably dropping the word now), the book offers a treasury of witty, memorable lines—perfect ammunition for the final strike in a debate, or sparkling ornaments in the hands of a conversationalist. One of my favorites reads:

“Don’t hit the head, if your fingers are between the teeth.”

Very brilliant. Very demure. And imagine hearing this in a first class on diplomacy—I’d definitely stick around for the rest.

Whether you are a seasoned reader or a newcomer, this book makes for an excellent entry point into Tharoorian literature: sharp, whimsical, and wise in equal measure.