Dr. Manmohan Singh’s televised address to the nation, ending with the lines ‘theek hai’, may not have been received too well by the Indian public but has drawn effusive praise from none other than President Obama. The President hailed the ‘theek hai’ address as one of the great political speeches of the modern era, right up there with Kennedy’s ‘Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for the country’ 1961 inaugural address, Martin Luther King Jr’s ‘I have a dream’ public speech, Churchill’s war time ‘we will fight on the beaches, we shall fight them on the landing grounds’ rallying call to his nation at the outset of the Second World War and Nehru’s ‘tryst with destiny at the stroke of the midnight hour’ on the eve of Indian independence.
Political scientists concur with the President. “His speech was so amazingly bland and devoid of empathy that it made people realize that they have to look within for change, not up to their leaders. And ending it with ‘theek hai’ was a touch of political genius, ensuring that people would remain angry and stirred. And that really is the best antidote to curb the social menaces that we grapple with,” pointed out famous political psychologist, Dr. Ashish Nandy.
President Obama stumbled upon footage of Dr. Singh’s address after noticing ‘theek hai’ trending for over two days while hanging out on Twitter and hasn’t stopped raving since. “What poise, what tone modulation. Mesmerizing oratory,” raved President Obama, who has been in constant touch with Dr.Singh’s media adviser, Pankaj Pachauri, to get tutored in the usage and pronunciation of the phrase ‘theek hai’.
“Yes, Mr.Obama has regularly been requesting me to tutor him on the usage and pronunciation of the phrase ‘theek hai‘. He was surprised at how a simple phrase like that has created a storm all over the world, trending on Twitter for the past 4-5 days non-stop ..while it took him 4-5 years to spread a message like ‘Yes, we can!’” confirmed Pachauri.
President Obama took faltering steps towards emulating Dr. Singh’s speech delivery style, before regressing into old habits during his address to the Senate. “The fiscal deficit….in the United States…of America…is quite bad this quarter….A series of stringent steps…should be taken….to improve…the growth and the overall GDP …of the country,” began the President, even as senators, mesmerized by the President’s oratory, began to nod off in awe, momentarily buoying hopes that his proposals to avoid the approaching fiscal cliff would be passed.
“But then, I failed miserably…as no sooner had I completed this sentence, than I involuntarily transitioned to my own self and went on to say - Fear not, my fellow Americans !! Crests and troughs are, but a part of this incredible, historic American journey that we’re all in!! Winning is a good thing, but not as good as rising from adversity and then winning!! In other words, Being at a crest does not feel as exhilarating and liberating as rising to it from a trough. United, we, my dear Americans, shall fight the economic crisis together!! United, we, my dear Americans, shall see to it that we are the world leaders forever! The reason is simple, my dear countrymen – We are, The United States of America ! YES WE CAN!?” wistfully recalled Obama.
(With some inputs from Unreal team)