What is it that we look for in a leader today? Is it someone who can rule over a country? Someone who has a great face value that can represent our country? Or can we still look for a person who can guide the whole nation to prosperity?
Gone are the days when an era of leaders like Lincoln, Gorbachev or Gandhi defined a nation. They had certain ideals that they proposed to the people of the country and they truly proved time and again, to stand by it and work for it. Even Hitler for that matter fits into the definition of a leader. And where have we reached now? We are truly a pauper nation today when we think of the leaders that ‘lead’ India. Do we have one person who can stand out amidst the one billion Indians and be a leader in its true sense? Ha. It is rightly said that beggars can’t be choosers. From one inefficient government to the other we move without any choice. Well, technically we do have a choice. We get to pick the inefficiency level we are ready to live with.
Politics is a game of course. Everyone knows that. But when you play with the lives of thousands of people, the players lose their sportsmanship- be it corruption, where thousands of crores of rupees are stolen and stashed away into the Bade Miyas’ deep pockets, or atrocities like genocide, which shockingly is even justified by some of the fundamentalist leaders. How such people live without the constant pricking of their conscience is something I can never fathom!
In the months prior to the elections we have quite a show in almost all parts of the country. It’s that time again when parties rush to secure a comfortable and cushiony place for themselves in the Government . Indeed it is from there that these Netas can make their own lives comfortable and make a mockery out of the Government. It is amazing that the Netajis see all the problems of the people during the period before the elections. I wonder how they are even inclined to toiling in the sun for long hours holding rallies, making innumerous false promises, pointing fingers at other parties, displaying the pretense of empathizing with the less fortunate, enticing the audience with the lucrative illusions of a brighter tomorrow ( well it is extended to its literal sense these days-All are promising to provide electricity everywhere these days) and of course, wiping out all the miseries that the rival parties have inflicted upon the people. It’s not even entertaining to listen to the ad nauseam speeches intoned by the contenders anymore. It’s all so predictable. So they’re going to give me water and electricity for 5 years. They’re going to generate employment for everyone to sustain themselves. At times the talk is so bizarre that my TV has to bear my pangs of frustration. Can any one of them talk about how they are going to generate electricity for the whole country? With the exponential rise in population how exactly are all these promising jobs going to generated on a 1:1 ratio? What’s the rationale behind these promises?? It’s easy to talk volumes. But they forget that actions speak louder than words.
Well, it’s safe to say that we aren’t hoping for a Lincoln anymore. Even if the leaders don’t do any good to the nation, they should just try not to leave it in ruins. The fame, power and the money earned in this game is really not worth it. For a start, these leaders of tomorrow may please recollect what is said about Karma. And if they realize that it’s not a true leader’s feat to fool the innocent and hopeful multitude to gather their ticket to the throne of power, we may stand a chance for a brighter tomorrow.
What remains to be seen is if the grand show this time is going to be a spectacle or a debacle.