Tuesday, October 6, 2009

YEAR NUMBER 140!!!

On the 2nd of the 10th month in the year of 1869,a boy was born in Porbandar of Gujarat who was destined to be called the ‘MAHATMA’. The boy was named Mohandas by his father Karamchand and mother Putlibai.We all know the life and works of Mahatma. We all try to follow it. His ideas and thinking was so strong that it is believed that INDIA got independence because of Mahatma and his ideas. We are all admirers of his ideology. We all respect him. One can make a great film if he/she follows gandhiji!!!Today on the 140th celebration day it’s a behemoth salute to a great soul from all of us.

Today is “Gandhi Jayanti”.In India; one can find photos and statues of Gandhiji in each and every corner. But one can find the maximum number of his images in government offices. Today on the eve of Gandhi jayanti all these photographs are locked!!!Gandhiji not only guided us to independence but also helped to solve our woes post independence. I have often heard in films (Mostly Manoj kumar) and also real people saying that It’s my good fortune to be born in this country but for M.K.Gandhi the country herself must be saying that its her good fortune that gandhiji was born in India.

The reason why I admire this great man so much is because of his “Leadership”. Many people disagree with his ideology and many do agree. But everyone has to agree that India has never had leader with a following as large as Gandhi. Perhaps the man who came closest to Gandhi in this parameter was J.M.Nehru. The reasons I see behind such a great following of Gandhiji are:

1) There was a need of a leader when he entered the political scene of the slave country.

2) He understood that if he wants people to follow him he had to be like people, not only in attire but also in his personal life.

3) The third and the most important reason was that he had full commitment on what he was doing. He was never a corrupt person!

Today when I see the political scene of India as a young guy I feel it’s a complete bedlam. When there are elections there are different parties which come together and forms group. Both will fight like cats and dogs in the verbal arguments. But there are some things which are common in them. One is that none of them have any solid issues. And the second is that none of them have a national leader. Perhaps the last national leader that this country has witnessed was Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru. In my memory the person whom I really admired as a child without understanding the whole situation was Mr.A.B.Vajpayee. Today the then very strong NDA is addled that who is exactly the leader??

When post independence there was riot in Kolkata (then Calcutta) took place the ministers turned to the Mahatma for help. He did help by going on a fast. And the result was that people did respond albeit momentarily. The reason was again simple he himself starved to death for the betterment of others. Gandhiji never starved for the India we have right now. Today the dialogue of “Lageraho munnbhai” is appropriate that he dreamt of making our country “Full to imported Mafik!!”

Today the situation is Pathetic. The kinds of people in our representation are hopeless. There is not a single person who even claims to represent the whole country. There is no decision taken unanimously. The government works for their own betterment and to see off the cases which are against them and to reward people who praise them. The opposition only likes to oppose government. Perhaps they have taken their job too literally.

Today Indian politics is about two things. One is to win elections and other is to defeat others in the elections. People like mayawati and mulayam singh are ruling India’s largest state. Politicians in power are spending money in erecting their statues and those not in power are spending money to ensure that they get to do this in their next term. There is no regulation.

We often see adds forcing us to participate in elections because “WE” can bring about a change. But when one goes to the polling booth there is not even a single candidate whom you think is an able person to represent us. I personally voted for the first time in the recently held lok sabha elections and I choose my candidate on a single criteria-The person who has less number of FIR’s registered!!!

As an Indian it is not acceptable to me to see an 84 year old man being told virtually every day to quit indirectly and directly. It is not acceptable to me that my prime minister is being ordered by a lady. It is not acceptable to me that people are divided on the basis of religion. It is not acceptable to me that a lady who has no sense of speaking is a chief minister.

All these things are facts and these are unacceptable to me. I do not want to stay in a country where the Sansad is more like a fish market. I do not want to be protected by a police force which has a higher priority to protect the ministers rather than making their force fit and healthy.

So what do I do???

I know the solution is that our country needs a national leader who is an educated, practical, astute and amicable fellow. He may not be able to run the government all alone but at least have the senses of which are the people to be chosen in his/her cabinet. Today in real sense we need a Gandhi.

A political approach is to pray to god to give us such a leader and till then wait doing “Yagnas”,”Havans” and other things. This is what we do generally. Another approach is to keep an SMS contest where people must message their leaders name and send it to “XXXX”.

But according to me there is no need to find a leader. Because we have already found out a leader. The leader I am talking about is “YOU”.ya it’s you. Please don’t look here and there!!!!Its you.

The logic is simple. If we want to get bread for our dinner we get it from the market. So if we want to change the fate of our country we have to do it. If we want our children to study in a good school, we have to build it or at least work hard to provide money!!

But in every human being there is always an element of doubt. When I say to my parents and my friends that I would like to make a career in politics then my friends just laugh off the matter and my parents are worried. They have even inquired about the fees of some good mental asylums!!!

I do not blame them. Any normal human being will have the same reaction. It’s our thinking that only kith and kins of the politicians enter politics and that Politics is a very dirty game. I agree to that. But if a Gutter is dirty someone has to enter it to clean it! And the problem is that everyone expects someone other to do the job. We never do that job. Had Gandhi said that, “Hey, I am a bit busy with my case. You carry on amd I’ll cheer you!!”We would have perhaps never been independent.

Today India’s youth is educated and well versed with the value system. For a leader values are one of the most important aspect of the character. Our youth has that capability to lead our country and take it to that level which was the dream of the Mahatma. We as young people have that blend of technology and emotion that can transform a developing nation to a superpower.

Having technology and using it are two different things. Its like giving a computer to a programmer and a baby. The programmer will create something and baby will destroy the computer. So today the problem is that we have the technology but don’t know how to use it. We as youth can do this.

This change has to be brought about. Not tomorrow but now. This is the moment when we have to change and to change what we need to do is to change our perception of politics. Once we ourselves believe that we are the one who will have to be responsible to change the current scenario then there is no force that can stop India from becoming a superpower. They say to become a superpower it requires years of perseverance….

Let us prove them that it’s just a matter of one decision that is one single moment.

So lets together pledge today on Gandhi jayanti that “I am going to be the leader who will enable India to be a superpower”. Let us prove that India has many Gndhi’s.