• Looking good! My lead has crossed 30,000 with half the votes counted.
• A lead of over 59000 now! It’s almost a done deal
• I have won with a majority greater than any Congress candidate in Tvm in 30 years… Truly humbling.
• Now the real work begins
  Still sinking in – a majority of over 100,000 votes!
• On a victory tour of my constituency – amazing scenes of exhilaration – already hoarse from thank-you speeches!

The very next day after Tharoor became MP (May 17th, 2009)

• First fullday as MPelect. Began with an intervention on 4 Tvm fishermen rescued by SriLankan navy and taken to SL who need to be repatraited
• And ended (not quite) with a visit to hospital to condole victims of police firing in a riot. Meetings still ahead with assorted groups….
• Re my 2 previous, if ever there is a 7day-a-week job, it is that of a politician. In between I met+spoke w 100 people – & its Sunday!
• Finally ended the day with a 3 hour meeting on development issues of Tvm with a wide range of experts. Now to get it all done!
• On my way to Beemapalli where 4 young people died yesterday in police firing

On the way to Delhi as MP elect (May 18th, 2009)

• Heading to Delhi – beginning of a new journey!
• Flight delayed so tried to start replying to congratulatory emails – did about 200, another 2129 to go.
• Apologies to those awaiting ack
• Two TV interviews scuttled by 2 hour delay in Kingfisher flight – but one might be salvaged by an OB van coming to the airport!

In Delhi for the first time as MP elect (May 19th, 2009)

• In Delhi at last – trying to get into Parliament to get my ID!
• First day in Parliament. From the sublime (the historic Central Hall for the Cong legislators meeting) to the bureacratic (8 forms to fill)!
• Parlmt is impressive, monumental. Deeply moving to be in this splendid bldg and to have earned the right to be here the hard way
• The media scrum is amazing. Have given 13 interviews in 3 languages and 2 more TV shows pending
• Kerala MP delegation called on Cong Pres Sonia Gandhi and PM Manmohan Singh. Much justified self-congratulation abt 13 Kerala Cong MP wins!

On the day Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated (May 21st, 2009)

• Up at 5 am to attend a stirring memorial ceremony on Rajiv Gandhi’s death anniversary. Spare, simple, gracious and profoundly moviing.
• Another day of TV interviews (in 3 langs!), a couple of friendly chats with senior political friends, and the highlight: (next tweet)
• Great, lively discussion w abt 30 Delhi bloggers and twitterati, most encouragingly young (incl one I’d last seen when she was 4 years old!)

On swearing in ceremony of Prime Minister and first phase of Cabinet Ministers (May 22nd, 2009)

• PM’s initial cabinet appointees being sworn in today… The task of good governance is huge.

Getting used to the job of a MP (May 23rd, 2009)

• Incessant stream of political visitors this morning, all wellmeaning, kind & supportive. But politics isnt easy for those who value privacy!

First Sunday in Delhi as MP (May 24th, 2009)

• Sunday! actually managed time for a haircut. several intrvws all day, including “On the couch with Koel” for next Sat (on a real red couch!)

Issues of his constituency (May 26th, 2009)

• busy couple of days on Tvm issues. Fishermen lost at sea, air-sea rescue issues. Flooding. The Beemapalli Urs starting peacefully after riot

On the day Tharoor got a call from Prime Minister to join his cabinet (May 27th, 2009)

• Overwhelmed today. 1st by call fm PM and Mrs Gandhi inviting me to join the Council of Ministers tomorrow, and then by the flood of congrats
• Off to Rashtrapati Bhavan for swearing in. What an awe-inspiring moment, and a deeply humbling one

First full day as MoS for External Affairs (May 28th, 2009)

• End of a long day. Humbled by the responsibility of taking office as Minister of State for External Affairs.
• But buoyed by the support and encouragement received from Indians of all stripes; determined to do my best at this challenging time.

First day in office as MoS (May 29th, 2009)

• Took charge in South Block this morning. Strange feeling since I’ve always been a visitor there, and quite frequently too!
• Started off by disappointing the media who were present in large numbers. Said I wouldn’t spk on issues of substance before being briefed.

Second Day in office (May 30th, 2009)

• Second morning in office, finally got office computer to work…
• Another day gone in a blur of phone calls! And I still have a hundred to return, several hundred from nbrs I don’t recognize, + 2 dozn msgs
• The toughest part of political life is to get work done while managing to be accessible to evry voter who wants to meet/spk. How do u do it?

Day Dr Tharoor was sworn in as a MP (June 1st, 2009)

• Sunday evening spent 3 hours at Kerala House, doors open to visitors, wellwishers, favour-seekers, petitioners. Must make a habit of it!
• Reminder that the MoS is also an MP: live call-in programme on Manorama TV last night on the problems of Tvm and what I can do abt them.
• Took my oath as an MP today – 1st time in the Lok Sabha as a Member. Wonderful. And generously warm greetings from Opposition leaders after
• First meeting with MEA Minister SM Krishna, an eminent figure in Indian politics. I will be handling mainly Africa & Arab world
• First dinner by EAM for diplomatic corps. back on a beat i thought i’d left when i quit the UN.But better food here! spoke French after yrs.
• actually not true – spoke French after months, not years. But didn’t have enough characters left for the word “months”!

A typical day as Minister (June 2nd, 2009)

• Quite a day: representation from National Students Union of India on Australia, Pak release of LeT chief, lots of visiting Ambassadors, tbc
• Also (as Tvm MP): Good and constructive mtg with Law Minister on Kerala High Court, visits from expat Keralites, reception by Delhi Mal Assn
• And still one more dinner to go, with a section of the diplomatic corps at the splendidly renovated Hyderabad House. A real showcase bldg

On the day Meera Kumar was elected the first women Speaker (June 3rd, 2009)

• Wed hectic. Election of 1st woman Speaker of Parl, the gracious and elegant Meira Kumar. Also PM introduced his Council of Mins to the House
• always focusing on constituency politics too: several visitors, + reception at Kerala House, where Malayalis gather for tea and empathy
• joined briefing of first-time Congress MPs. Thorough education from veteran FinMin Pranab Mukherjee on constnl history + parl procedures
• key message from veteran pol leaders to all (esp new) parliamentarians: attend, and behave! attend regularly, and behave responsibly

Parliament in Session ( June 5th, 2009)

• Sorry, haven’t tweeted for 36 hrs – utterly swamped. Thurs morn was Pres’ address to Parl. Majestic occasion, same hall as Constitnt Assmbly
• Then got to sit in Rajya Sabha for 1st time as PM introduced his Ministers. Smaller chamber, not as grand as the Lok Sabha!
• Delhi political social circuit has come to life – 3 dinner invites a day, 2 of which I manage to attend. Challenge is not to eat at both!
• Did roster duty at Parl today – ministers take turns to cover the debates &show govt presence. Abt 100 of 543 MPs attended while I was there
• Just caught the end of Neths’ victory over England. What a finish! Now to get some sleep before my first mtg tomorrow….
• Saturday: called on HRD Min Kapil Sibal abt educnl opps 4 Tvm, on VicePres Hamid Ansari (a wise old friend), + recd lots of Kerala visitors
• Two more dinners! That intriguing Delhi mix of politicians, bureaucrats, media, + socialites

June 7th, 2009

• two human tragedies in the Gulf to resolve on the weekend, a fatality and an arrest. Thx 2 highly responsive Indn diplomats in Delhi & MEast
• still get irritated when Keralites spell my name Sasi. India’s most literate state is hopeless at transliterating into English!
• called on Kerala’s nonagenarian political stalwart Karunakaran at Kerala House. Still sharp at 92 and reverentially called “Leader” by all
• reception and dinner for the 19 Stephanian MPs (alumni of St Stephen’s College), 7 of whom are Ministers! great college spirit in evidence
• Ananthapuri, the alternate name for Thiruvananthapuram, would have been far better for national & global recognition

Tharoor’s take on twitter (June 8th, 2009)

• Final word to all the controversialists about my twittering: I will only say on twitter what I can say in public. So chill….
• Two contradictory msgs fm media: Time mag cover on how twitter is changing the world, WashPost article saying don’t tweet yr pol career away
• Now watching v tight finish SL- Aust. Interspersed w freq commercial of Priyanka Chopra spkng in an American accent. Globalized India!

About Lok Sabha Proceedings (June 9th, 2009)

• Tues was too busy to tweet! Many mtngs at MEA, + Parl session at which PM responded to debate on Pres’ speech. LS almost full, grt atmosphre
• Ind parl conventions derived fm Brits: thumping desks instd of clapping. Got to shout “aye” to support PM’s motion of thx to Pres

About Mangoes (June 9th, 2009)

• Having lived abroad in places without Indian mangoes, have literally become “aam aadmi” this year, or at least “aam ka aadmi” – eat 6 a day!

About Finance Minister Pranab Mukerjee (June 10th, 2009)

• Grt budget prep briefing ydy fm FinMin for Cong MPs – what an encyclopedic mind Pranabda has! Pity public often doesn’t see talents of pols
• Visiting his constituency for the first time after he became the minister

(June 11th, 2009)

• then packing for 2-week trip starting tmrw, to Tvm, then interior Kerala, then to represent India at a conf of Indian Ocean Rim countries

In the airport on his way to Trivandrum (June 12th 2009)

• Flight to Chennai nearly 2 hrs late Fri night, arrived at guest house just after India had lost. Now flt to Tvm half-hr late (so far)
• Calls tell me huge crowd waiting at Tvm airport. Pity their faith in airline punctuality is so rarely warranted
• Boarding at last! Will have very little time or opportunity to tweet during the next week – hectic progm in my constituency

First day in Trivandrum as a Minister (June 13th 2009)

• End of an exhausting 1st day back in Tvm – massive turnout at airport, flood of visitors and petitions, +devpmt discussion orgzd by Manorama
• Great there’s so much enthusiasm but level of expectation is unreal – people seem to think an MP can do everything! We hv NO exec authority
• Called on Communist Chief Minister Achuthanandan for an amicable bipartisan chat. Let’s hope the constructive spirit lasts!
• A bit alarmed at the prospect of getting used to armed guards around me all the time! Std state security for visiting ministers

Various activities in Trivandrum (June 14th 2009)

• A twitterless Sunday, sorry! There’ll be more such days during my insanely overprogrammed Constituency visit. Running on 3 hours’ sleep
• Sunday began with 3000 gathered at Tvm’s Lourdes church (w replica of grotto), ended with 16th mtng I addressed, hosted by 11 business orgs
• In btwn there were Congress and allies’ celebrations, mtgs w Mayor + officials, press conf, book release of poetry by a sculptor, awards
• And as always, an incessant stream of petitions, re pensions denied, school+college admissions, assorted grievances, jobs, visas, the Haj
• Relentless pressure of public is main feature of Indn pol life – pushing, jostling, shouting throngs at airport, guesthouse, & meeting halls
• Difficult not to be moved by the intense needs of the people and intimidated by the range of their unrealistic expectations!
• Kerala MPs and State Govt, led by CM, meeting to discuss State’s needs which we must pursue in Delhi. Effective federalism at work

About the Padayatra (June 15th 2009)

• Embarked on 1st day of pariyadana, a triumphal tour of the constituency to say thank-you to voters. Had done the same in the campaign
• Pariyadana (cf.last tweet) is travel on a decorated open jeep, loudspkrs blaring, w some 90 stops a day to make 2-min speeches. Exhausting
• At each stop u collect tributes in the form of scarves, garlands or shawls draped around your neck. Babies r held up to u, sweets offered
• (Cf.last tweet) on hot Kerala pariyadana days I’ve been wrapped in more shawls than a Kashmiri baby in winter!
• Today’s pariyadana was in Kovalam, lushly beautiful but with pockets of great poverty. There’s so much an MP needs to do (or get done) here
• Still surprises me that families wait outside their homes till midnight for a glimpse of, and wave from, a passing politician (me)!
• In India every MP represents a majority of poor people (living on less than the UN poverty line of $1.25 a day). They must be our priority

More on Padayatra (June 16th 2009)

• Should clarify: I get 100s of these shawls and Kerala towels and hand them out (or toss them from the jeep) to poor people along the way
• Also get flowers, fruit and coconuts. A little girl offered me her favourite stuffed toy (I gave it back, with flowers).
• Have been garlanded with jasmine, limes, rupee notes and artificially coloured marigolds (which leaked orange stains on my white shirt)
• Most unusual tribute: an old man whose most precious possessn was a bottle of cologne sprayed it liberally over my arm (all he cld reach!)
• Blazing hot afternoon. People wait patiently in the heat (we are 3 hrs late ‘cos of extra stops forced by party workers). Some tempers flare
• Unpunctuality is another hallmark of Indian politics. Will be lucky to finish by 1 am tonight
• School’s out! Evrywhere kids in uniform, cheering, sparkling eyes, gleaming smiles. They’ll vote next time, says Partyman. Unlikely, 2 young
• A gaggle of girls wave enthusiastically fm wrong side of road. That side’s TamilNad, says Partyman. Not my voters. I wave back anyway
• No delusions of grandeur. Our convoy is the principal diversion on a torpid afternoon
• Begng to wilt. Nibbling oranges to fuel myself, but they’re like the pol diary itema in some newspprs – juicy but sour
• Wonder if standing on swaying platform of an open jeep trundling over rutted roads gives any of the exercise of those fancy PowerPlates?
• Waving at every likely voter becomes such a reflex that I’ve waved at shadows, gargoyles on roofs and even my own face on a pol poster!
• Unpunctuality! at 7.30pm we reached where supposed to be at 11.30 am. Lunch served at 7.45 pm! I’ve rebelled. Pols aren’t allowed to tire
• Kerala is a microcosm of India’s diversity: just driving thru, u see every possible skintone, facial feature and faith

Various activities in Trivandrum (June 17th 2009)

• Wed: paid respects at grave of Kamala Suraiya, aka Kamala Das, writer and poet whom I had known since childhood. Orignl voice of fem empwrmt
• Gave awards to ayurvedic docs. Ayurveda needs to be recognzed as the holistic medical science it is. More clinical resrch documentn wld help
• Inaugurated my first bridge today, in rural Kazhakkoottam. Strange to see one’s name on a foundation stone
• Met the 4 fishermen rescued by the SL navy whose return home we were able to expedite. Called on editors of Mathrubhumi. (I was the bait!)
• Storm in a media teacup abt some partymen allegdly chafing at my independent ways. In politics u can easily make enemies w’out really trying
• Just passed a volleyball court made of 2 bamboo poles and a fishing net
• Addressed Bar Assocn on Tvm High Ct bench. Urged restraint. Give new Law Min, new Chief Justice and new MP time solve the probm
• High Ct agitation nearing 500th day. Tvm only state capital w’out a HC bench. Huge inconvenience and expense

Tharoor’s reaction to be called “Delhi Nair’ by NSS (June 20th, 2009)

• My Tvm week has gone in a blur. Pariyadana and dozens of public engagements, some pvt mtgs starting w brkfst, incl 2 w Kerala govt ministers
• ‘m no demagogue, but there’s something abt a cheering, waving, smiling crowd of thousands that stirs the soul. Even if they’re schoolkids!
• 3 day roadtrip fm Sat – Kottayam, Alapuzha, Cherthala & Kochi ydy, with receptions & speeches evrywhere. En route to Guruvayur & Trichur now
• Controversy raging abt inadequate representation of Nairs at the Congress high table. NSS ldrship publicly unhappy w nbr of Nair MPs & Mins
• I’m an MP for all Tvmites & Min of all Indns. And a Nair. There’s a fine line btwn respect for community orgs & being communal.

While travelling to Trissur from Trivandrum (June 21st, 2009)

• Travelling thru Kerala u see a lot more kids playing cricket than ever before. Am happy! Grt excitement here abt Abhishek Nayar’s selection.

At Trissur and visit to his native place in Palakkad (June 22nd, 2009)

• Guruvayur temple ydy. Mother & f’ly enjoyed longish darshan. Wish all worshippers cld see the temple like that instd of being rushed.
• Trichur: Inaugurated a festival of intnl films on the theme of the sea. Great concept, lovely coastal setting, but no time to see any!
• Most Kerala functions begin with a prayer (sometimes silent, often beautifully sung) and end w the Natnl Anthem. Great tradition!
• Grand homecoming to my tharavad, but disconcerted to visit my grandmother & find 7 TV crews and a hundred strangers in the livingroom
• Grandmother is 92 and ailing but her voice is vigorous. The entire clan has gathered in the village, all my mom’s 7 siblings and offspring!
• Another reception at my father’s village. Moving to visit the primary school he attended more than 70 years ago
• village visit was upliftng. Going back to the roots is essential. If you don’t know where u came from, you can’t be sure where u’re going
• Off to Yemen via Dubai, for conf of Indian Ocean rim countries.

In Dubai and Yemen (June 24th, 2009)

• A whirlwind halfday in Dubai in transit to Yemen. Wonderful warm welcome fm UAE ministers. Grt discussions. All dtrmined to strengthen relns
• No Blackberry functionality in Yemen! A few quick updates during a short break at a PC.
• First day in Yemen. After good mtg with Forgn Min, visited Sanaa’s historic Old City, incl 1400-yr old bldgs still occupied: “living museum”
• Also took in magnificent new Saleh mosque, which even beats Islamabad’s. Most mosques and Xian cathedrals awe believers with their majesty
• :Unlike the smaller scale of Hindu temples, which suggests a more intimate conception of divinity
• In Dubai my old friend Sheikha Lubna, UAE Foreign Trade Minister, hosted a friendly lunch at which she greeted me as “Minister Twitter”!
• HH Sheikh Nahyan helicoptered down to Dubai for reception. The only foreign leader to call me twice, when I won the election & became Min.
• Warm relations w Gulf cntries predate our independence & theirs. Our relns are civilizational, not just diplomatic. Trading for 3000 yrs!

In Yemen (June 25th, 2009)

• sorry no tweet today! conf of Indian Ocean Rim countries, an 18-nation group with grt potential that straddles 3 continents. am Vice-Chair
• good bilateral mtgs with Yemen Pres Saleh, whom we’ve invited to visit India, and Oil Min. Also on sidelines of conf wih 4 FMs and MoSes
• still get flattered when foreign diplomat tells me s/he is a fan of my books! believe i can tell when comment is sincere, not mere diplomacy
• rather like tradnl Yemeni architecture, esp elaborate blackstone patterns on walls. Bhutan another cntry where bldgs reflect natnl heritage

From Yemen to Delhi (June 26th, 2009)

• Taking off for Delhi. Shudder to think of my desk after a 2-wk absence (in Kerala, Dubai & Yemen)

On his functioning as MoS and MP (July 2nd, 2009)

• Attended Rajya Sabha too on ministerial duty. Sparsely attended but more decorous. Lengthy speeches on ragging!
• besieged by more and more requests for Haj quotas, since as MoS i administer the ltd nbr of places offered to Indian pilgrims by Saudi Govt
• I get 20 convincing appeals a day from v influential pols for specl considern of their claims to extra Haj places for their own lists
• Success in politics comes fm making difficult choices amongst competing demands and yet satisfying more ppl than u alienate. Not sure I can!

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