Was Rahul Gandhi that bad at Bengaluru's Mount Carmel College?

By Juliana Lazarus

The last time I spent an hour on Rahul Gandhi was when the poor man was being tossed around on a torrential sea called Arnab Goswami. So when the prospect of spending another hour on him came up, I was expecting the worst.But, the good news is that he wasn't THAT bad.

So, was the visit a flop? You probably switched N number of news channels yesterday and have decided that it was.But Congressmen and women will tell you it was a great success. The truth, I guess, is somewhere in between.

For one, it was a pleasant surprise to see Gandhi walk in wearing jeans, tees and sneakers. At least, he didn't turn up in the trademark neta kurta, trying to be someone he wasn't. And the students were ecstatic. They cheered and clapped as he made his way to the front row, stopping every now and then to shake hands and chat -with two Tibetan students, the faculty and a differently-abled girl. There was warmth there, a warmth that didn't make it to the TV screens (of course!).

He started off well enough. About how, while researching about the college, he came across some alumni he knew -Nirupama Rao, former ambassador to the US, Margaret Alva and Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw. And, he actually called them up to find out what they thought of MCC. I mean, which politician would take that kind of trouble before a speech?

There was a titter among some sections every time he took a swipe at the Modi government though there was applause when he said, “It can't possibly be that one person has all the answers in the country.“ There was a titter when he began to speak about women's empowerment but appreciative applause when he told the audience that all of them were beautiful, all of them were to be respected and given their due place in society.

And then, while taking questions, he made the mistake of asking the girls a question -Is the Swachh Bharat campaign working? YES! Shouted the students and the shout continues to resonate. Especially on national TV.... But, at least, he made the effort of “starting a conversation.“ It may have backfired but he really should keep the conversation going. Because, some of it is good. And by the end of the event, most people in the audience came away with the thought that Mr Gandhi wasn't THAT bad.(The writer is the head of the dept of journalism, Mount Carmel College.The views expressed here are her own)