The silent history maker

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may be roundly criticised in India for playing second fiddle to Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Soft-spoken and non-confrontational, he is often perceived as a “weak” prime minister by the Indian polity. But global opinion may differ. If US president Barack Obama calls him “guru”, the latest issue of Time magazine has listed him among eight introverts who have made history. According to a longish article by the magazine’s Tokyo correspondent, introverts have their advantages too. The only other Indian on the Time list of eight introverts is Gandhi, though there is an India-related personality in Mother Teresa. Among the other introverted giants listed are Gates, Buffet, Clinton (Hillary) and baseball legend Joe DiMaggio. The strangest entry of all, however, is Moses, the biblical figure.