India has leaders but Lacks leadership...true?

This is a debate on a topic widely contemplated throughout the country which is somewhat controversial but equally thought provoking. The statement that India has leaders but lacks leadership does hold true in many a sense and hence, I will write FOR the motion.

India had always been referred to as the country of snake charmers, a land where you had the Maharajas and their kingdoms - precious stones, jewels, talented artisans and gifted craftsmen. It was a place where people swore their loyalty to the king and a land where faith and treachery were two different sides of the same coin. Amidst this total chaos of diversity and multi linguistic heritage, India never managed to gain the upper hand when it came to uniting under a common cause. Uniting under a common cause or a motivated leader was never possible as none could successfully manage to break the numerous barriers, separating the multitudes of differences between caste and religion & not forgetting the hunger for power.

As a result, ever since the Revolt of 1857 or even years preceding that, India always lacked leadership. Be it the arrival of the Mongols or the plundering of wealth by Mahmud of Ghazni, political stability and leadership was never there, right from the onset of the civilization.

Counter questions might pop up regarding the influence of Mahatma Gandhi on India’s freedom struggle in later years. However, with all due respect, Bapu too failed to bring in unison, the innumerable forces present in the country at that point of time which could perhaps, as many say – overthrow the British Raj over a shorter period of time and our freedom struggle would not have been a prolonged one. The very reason that our political leaders refused to step out of their comfort zones and accept certain things beyond the boundaries of their ideologies proved to have drastic consequences on the overall development of our country.

In the wider perspective, the disunited yet collective efforts of all our leaders and thinkers helped us to achieve our ultimate goal – we were blessed with freedom.

And then…

And then arrived democracy, a word misinterpreted by three fourth of the population – democracy was a game to be played, a system through which lives were resurrected and lives were destroyed. At the dint of being in power, this word could be used in parallel meanings and all the while, the influential members of our society downplayed its true essence.

In the end, nothing had changed. The winds of time had left a pond so stagnant that moss had covered it’s surface just the way clouds engulf the Sun at the time of rain. Our leaders were the same – ideology crazy, communal, power & wealth hungry and a group of individuals who could go to any extent to ensure the consolidation of their position. They had everything in them to appease the society but they were void of the quality which made them the chosen ones – leadership.

Election manifestos were smeared with their goals and ambitions and just like we have those contests on T.V, there was this asterisk which stated that conditions did apply. And what were the conditions? You give me votes I give you money. Or maybe, you give me power and I give you all, the most glorified kick of all times. Let me come to power and I will show you your limits. The limits of those who form the frame work of democracy?

Mountain of a mole hill is an apt phrase to describe the nature of our leaders who are supposed to be blessed with leadership skills let alone moral responsibility. They need an issue to feed on, they love controversies. For example, some of them can go to the extent of disgracing a decorated police officer who attained martyrdom – in a way this would shower them with all the cheap publicity they require.

In a country which still is supposed to be multi linguistic and widely diverse, we need leaders who are not just leaders but men blessed with leadership skills. Running the second most populous country of the world is by no means an easy task but credibility is a concept which is yet to be introduced in this flawed system. It is my responsibility, it is my mistake, it is my duty, it is my decision - are few sentences which are yet to be fully endorsed by our leaders. And when it is done, trust them to be blessed with leadership skills too and eventually this path will lead us to the house of change.

And then change will arrive, it surely will.

I end on an optimistic note but by no means would I soften my stand on what I spoke about. India, to achieve it’s goals of development economically and socially need to decide who they want as their pathfinders and their lamp during dark times. If we face a crisis in the near future, the sorry state of affairs is such that we will slump down to a position from where it would be difficult to rise, as the ones who will be leading us would be the ones enshrouded in the clouds of uncertainty.

We were subjugated under the rule of our British masters for 200 years and the dearth of leaders equipped with leadership skills might lead us to a position where we might find ourselves dominated by our American masters. The story of leadership would start again…