The Indian Leadership: Then and Now

        Karl Marx once said that when an idea grips the minds of the masses, it becomes a material force. There was a time when...

        The desire for independence from British rule had gripped the Indian masses totally. The sheer power of this commitment and dedicated  leadership of charismatic leaders like Gandhi, Nehru had taken our patriotism to it’s zenith…let me remind you that student organizations were an integral part of the freedom struggle…the result of course was a forgone conclusion. We not only got our independence but also set a unique example of how to achieve it.

        But unfortunately that passion could not remain undiluted. Today when we look within and ask ourselves ‘Am I ready to get involved in shaping the destiny of today’s India? I am afraid, most of the teenagers in spite of agreeing with the basic idea, will prefer if somebody else does that for him. Our generation, the world over, is described as ‘I, ME and MYSELF’ generation But is this true?

        Our team decided to verify this belief and gave a questionnaire to our school students. It was given to students of 8^th D, 11thA and 11^th B. The total number of students was 86 and the findings were as follows:

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                                     11^th standard A and B

·      1.Only 20% of students showed some interest in political leadership. Majority was interested in vocational leadership and upliftment.    

·      2.56% of students could not name more than 2 political leaders who can be considered as their role models. Their role models were people who have achieved success in their individual endeavor. 

            §      8^th D

·      1.30% of students showed interest in political leadership. Majority was unclear about their exact area of interest but they were clear about their disinterest in politics.

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·      2.76% of students could not name more than 2 political leaders who can be considered as their role models. Their role models were mostly from the glamour field, sports, their parents or successful relatives.

        The results sadly proved the belief right. If a nation of more than 100      million cannot have 5 undisputed political role models for a young generation, it is really a sad state of affairs. This is not a healthy sign for a democratic country like India. Worst is the fact that the coming generation is not even interested in doing anything about it.

        We tried to find the rationale behind it. Is it because our generation got independence on platter that we fail to value it? Could it be the ever increasing competition and unending race for materialistic things which has blinded the youth with its shining glare? Or is it the mass media which has exposed many politicians with effective sting operations? Probably the images have stayed in the young minds and the first adjective for the noun ‘politician’s ‘corrupt’ May be they don’t want to enter into what they perceive as a messy situation. Our generation has also seen lot many terrorist attacks, human bombs resulting in the death of some of our cherished leaders like Indira Gandhi  and Rajiv Gandhi. We cannot pinpoint a single factor but the result is that our young generation is not as positively disposed to political leadership as it should be. May be most of the other nations are also facing this problem and hence this project becomes important for all of us.

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        So friends, you must be wondering who are then perceived as effective leaders by the young Indians now? Their favourite leaders are successful business tycoons like Anil Ambani who was chosen as MTV Indian Icon last year. They are from the sports field like our Tennis star Sania Mirza, Sachin Tendulkar or from the glamour industry like Amitabh Bachchan. We deeply appreciate their contribution in making India what it is today. But at the same time ,we feel they are our precious feathers in our cap, crowning glory but don’t you think we need a firm head below? Who is responsible for that? How long are we going to just criticize, crib and suffer? Isn’t it more logical if we ourselves take the first step rather than being peripheral and passive? We are not intending that all of us should become leaders. What we want to convey is...at least choose the ones you will be proud of and for that  it is mandatory that we take interest and keep our eyes open. Ours is a democratic country and our involvement is the preamble for it’s survival.

        After all, India is our motherland, how can we leave her to her fate?   

      Aren’t we the ones who are going to decide her future? Working on this project was a real eyeopener. We has decided to take this challenge head-on and are committed to spread this awareness in our country. What about our friends from different corners of the world? Wake up from your slumber friends…..and think about it!!!