Rhetoric and content

The two are unequally bestowed on Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi, and that is why both the leaders are struggling

Storytellers need two things. One, they need the ability to communicate. This means control of the platform — the language, the metaphors, the lyricism, the precision, the humour and so on. The Greeks thought rhetoric an important enough asset to require investment and so did the Romans. There is a 12-volume first century text by Quintilian training people on this because it was the foundation of political leadership.

Second, and more importantly, communicators need material. Writing or public speaking (for these are in essence the same thing) requires content. Absent this it is not possible to speak meaningfully.

Material is 95 per