Why Obama-Seinfeld's coffee date is a must watch for Indian leaders

Jerry Seinfeld has a show called Comedians in Cars getting Coffee in which he hosts America's top-notch comic talent, taking them on a drive in a vintage car and buying them breakfast. From Steve Martin to Julia Louis Dreyfus, a number of comic aces have appeared on the show. On New Year's eve, Seinfeld hosted someone who is quite funny for his profession but not one you would call a comic: Barack Obama.

Right from the word go, the episode is a cracker. Seinfeld begins his morning by talking to Obama on the phone, in which Obama reminds him of the address: 1600, Pennsylvania Avenue. Seinfeld takes out a blue 1963 Corvette (the one with the split rear window, he is quick to remind us) and drives to the White House. The ensuing security drill is hilarious. He jumps over into the hedge behind Oval Office, and taps on the window of the room in which Obama is working. Obama tells his guards: "Don't shoot him; he is harmless."

Seinfeld and Obama, of course, never leave the premises since the president cannot be out driving an unsanitised vehicle. So, after the customary short drive inside the premises, they hop over to the White House canteen to have a coffee and discuss gravid topics of statecraft and subterfuge.

Naah, who am I kidding? This being Seinfeld, here is a sample of the questions and answers:

Seinfeld: Can you adjust the temperature of this place? Have you ever touched a thermostat?

Obama (in all seriousness): I call someone to do that.

Seinfeld: If I slid open your underwear drawer, one brand or a number of brands?

Obama (looking like he can't believe he got himself into this): I am gonna go with one brand.

Seinfeld: One colour?

Obama (with a DUH expression): Of course!

With Obama, it's hard to know whether he was really enjoying it, as he claims in the end, or if this was just part of his reach-the-audience initiative, something that he has shown much keenness as president. He has appeared, say, on Between Two Ferns by Zach Galifianakis to promote ObamaCare. He is such a slick man - and I mean this as a compliment - that his real emotions can be very hard to read.

Yet, he seemed to have a good time. He told Seinfeld he loves nachos so much he has "guacamole coming out of (my) eyeballs". He joked about the time he played golf with Larry David who applies so much sunscreen "it catches parts of his ears and then there is big lumps of it".

Of course, there was some stuff about politics too. Seinfeld asked Obama what sport is politics; is it chess, it is liar's poker? Obama went with football: "There are a lot of players; there is a lot of specialisation, a lot of hitting, a lot of attrition, but every once in a while you will see an opening."

When asked how many world leaders he thinks are completely out of their mind, Obama said: "A pretty sizeable number." He made a sly criticism of despots besides (and this includes Putin too, even though he is not technically a despot): "The longer they stay in office, the more likely they are to lose it."

There is plenty more, so let me not ruin it any more for you. What was most endearing about the chat was Obama's use of metaphors and examples from comedy to suggest that he and Seinfeld or anyone really is in the same boat, dealing with the same professional issues, the same crises, the same triumphs, albeit at vastly different scales.

One thing is clear: Indian leaders can learn a lot from Obama about reaching out to the public. Most of what we hear from our leaders is either through public rallies where they plumb the lowest common denominator in their hunger for votes or via spokespersons who, due to the nature of their job, sugarcoat and giftwrap everything. A real, one-to-one connect that Obama is a master at is sorely missing from our public life. For a democracy, especially one in which visual media play an important role, it is not merely nice, but also imperative in my view, for leaders to try and reach out to their target constituencies by making an effort to come across as more human.

They ought to leave their ivory tower perches once in a while. Among the current crop, Arvind Kejriwal is the only leader who is good at this. His style is conversational (look, for instance, to his latest interview with Barkha Dutt) and he does away with the traditional trappings of leadership. May more Indian leaders pick up their cues from him!