With the current Indian Prime Minister not exactly swamped with praise in the local press, it's simple to find someone the people would rather see in power.
The Washington Post's recent description of Manmohan Singh as "a dithering, ineffectual bureaucrat presiding over a deeply corrupt government" was met by Indians with more agreement than outrage, indicating his approval rating is hardly through the roof.
One Indian with no such popularity problems is Sunita Williams. You may have never heard of her - I hadn't until this week - but Williams' every step is big news in India.
That she takes those steps as just the second woman in command of the International Space Station may have something to do with the fanfare.
Though Williams was born in America, her Indian father has seen the country's press and people claiming her as their own, with headlines of her feats referring to the astronaut only as 'Sunita'.
September has been a profitable time for Sunita stories. First, Williams set a new record for cumulative spacewalk time by a female with her sixth walk. She then took command of the station after a Russian crew returned to Earth, before yesterday completing a triathlon in space to "set yet another record".
My personal favourite Sunita story, though, involved the headline: '$3 toothbrush saves day for $100 billion space station'. It breathlessly told of how a rudimentary toothbrush, "designed" by Williams, became instrumental in the installation of a vital part for relaying power at the station.
Any self-respecting Simpsons fan will be immediately reminded of Homer's space voyage, when he "designed" an inanimate carbon rod to hold his shuttle's door in place and prevent the ship breaking up on re-entry.
I wonder if Sunita's toothbrush will end up on the cover of Time magazine.
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