If you saw my face, I'd be smiling ear to ear," Nancy Pelosi tells THE WEEK, lighting up the evening sky in India, which is still taking in the euphoria over the chances of Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the next president of the United States.
It is 7:15 in the morning on the American west coast (7:45pm in India) as Pelosi, former speaker of the US House of Representatives and one of the leading power centres in the Democratic Party, settles in for an exclusive conversation. Her infectious enthusiasm easily breaks the gap of time, cultures and civilisation as she bonds over shared experiences of Gandhian philosophy that she marvelled at as a little girl and of imbibing the Dalai Lama's message of peace.
Pelosi's arena of public service spans continents and hearts, making her one of the most popular world leaders. "Be yourself. Be ready. And know your power," writes the 84-yearold leader in her new book, The Art of Power, as she prepares to pass on the baton of being a "mother" of her country's children to her long-time friend Harris. "I look forward to not being the most powerful woman in politics in America when she will become president of the United States," says the first woman speaker of the house. And as potential president, Harris is unique. "She happens to be a woman. She happens to be black.
She happens to be an Indian-American," says Pelosi. A gush of joy comes through her words.
When Pelosi was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1987, she was one of just 23 women among its 435 members. Most older male members on the Capitol Hill dismissed her as a wealthy housewife from San Francisco, but by hard work and sheer force of personality she rose to the senior leadership of the house Democrats, which had been a male preserve.
Denne historien er fra August 25, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
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Denne historien er fra August 25, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Two-horse race
Can the NC-Congress alliance reshape the future of Jammu and Kashmir?
Man-eaters don't spare women
Critics say Narendra Modi’s decade-long rule has been one of jobless growth. Factories produced more, companies earned more, owners profited more, the government earned more; but fewer hands were hired, or those who were hired got work for fewer days. Putting the last two together, economists said the Indian economy generated fewer ‘man-days’.
Decolonising the mindset
The vision of a Viksit Bharat hinges on India T breaking from the shackles of a colonial mindset and embodying the freedom of being unapologetically Indian. The laws of any nation are the cornerstone of its growth. The legal system offers the stability and adaptability essential for a country to thrive. The laws must be simple to understand and specific in their consequence.
The making of India's Mr Difficult Words
When my publishers at Aleph invited me to put together a book on words and language, I hesitated for a brief moment.
Couture's creepy corridors
If one is spending a summer in New York, any summer in New York, an absolute must-do is to spend an afternoon at the city’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, on the edge of Central Park, just gawking in gobsmacked awe at the annual fashion exhibition the museum’s Costume Institute puts together.
Stree 2 has given us hope
The unprecedented success of Stree 2 is the best news we have had in the recent times and with an unabashedly feminist agenda, has comprehensively out-performed Sandeep Reddy Vanga's toxic masculine star-studded Animal at the box office is (to me, at least) kind of the cinematic equivalent of Awadhesh Prasad winning Ayodhya-it redeems my faith in the inherent decency of Indians.
BRANDS BEYOND RAMPS
Whether through carpets, fragrances or home interiors, Indian couturiers are defying their own limits
RESERVOIR OF WORRIES
India has a robust dam management systém on paper, but inadequate maintenance and climate change pose serious threats
INTER-STATE ISSUES HAVE NO EFFECT ON DAM SAFETY
INTERVIEW: KUSHVINDER VOHRA INTERVIEW Chairman, Central Water Commission
DAMS SHOULD BECOME ONE OF THE WAYS TO MITIGATE CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT
INTERVIEW - ERIC HALPIN dam and levee consultant
